Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved writing. I’ve always loved the ability to create new worlds, exactly how I wanted them to be, and share them with other people. I had always been drawn to writing fiction, but more recently, I’ve discovered the joy and healing of writing nonfiction, and even personal narratives. Even just writing in a journal, with no intention of sharing with other people, can be nice. I’ve realized that journaling and writing personal narratives can promote well-being and help work through challenges.
There are a few different ways I’ve used writing to process emotions and work through challenges. I think the obvious one is journaling through feelings. Journaling about a situation and how you feel about it puts everything down on paper and helps you sort through it, rather than having it all jumbled up in your head. Putting things down in black and white and being able to read it back affords you some perspective that you might not have had before.
Another helpful writing tool can be to write out a challenge, or even just everyday life, and write a personal narrative as if you were the person you wish to be. By writing from the perspective of the person you want to be, you can learn more about how that person thinks and acts, and you can start thinking and acting like that person. In turn, you can become more like that person and change your life to be more like the life you want. Write about how that person reacts to different situations and how they live, and you can start making small changes in your own life.
Writing personal narratives about challenges that you’ve faced in real time can help others as well. You can write about these challenges and save your writing for future generations such as children, or nieces and nephews. Then, when they are facing similar challenges, you have ready examples of how you understand their situation and what you did in their place, and you can help them get through their own challenges.
Beyond helping future generations with their problems, you can also look back on how you dealt with challenges when you’re dealing with similar problems. You can decide if you want to deal with your current situation in a similar way, or if you want to deal with it differently. Above all, though, you’ll have proof that you have dealt with challenges in the past and know that you can get through whatever problems you’re facing in the present.
As you can see, there are multiple ways to use storytelling to process your emotions, even more than what is listed here. You can use journaling and personal narratives to promote well-being and work through challenges. Humans have been telling stories since the dawn of their existence, and I don’t see that stopping any time soon. Storytelling lets us know that we’re not alone, no matter how vast the world can seem. You can add your voice to the billions that have come before you, and the billions that will come after you. Even if you only make a difference in your own life with storytelling, that’s a life you’ve made a difference in.
How do you use the healing power of storytelling in your own life?