This article focuses on divorce, but I think its advice is applicable to other life problems.
I discussed healing and moving past painful ordeals in a previous post or two. I had depression for many years, and after my mother died a few years ago, I had to find healthy ways to cope with the grief.
One method I used was writing. I used to write by pen in an old notebook. These days, I might blog about something, or write posts on someone else’s blog. I’ve found writing does help.
Why Keeping a Diary Helps You Move On And Even Improves Your Heart Health – Daily Mail by Alexandra Thompson
Here are some snippets from that page:
Struggling to cope with a divorce? Keeping a diary helps you move on and even improves your heart health
- Expressing feelings by telling a story of your relationship has notable benefits
- Writing lowers the heart’s rate and increases its beat variability, boosting health
- Telling a story has advantages over expressing feelings or recording activities
- Just 20 minutes a day of so-called story-telling journalling could be beneficial
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Writing a diary after going through a divorce could improve your heart health and your ability to adapt to new situations, a study reveals.
The researchers found the benefits of keeping a journal were seen among those who expressed their feelings by writing the story of their relationship.
Study author Kyle Bourassa, from the University of Arizona, said: ‘To be able to create a story in a structured way — not just re-experience your emotions but make meaning out of them — allows you to process those feelings in a more physiologically adaptive way.
‘The explicit instructions to create a narrative may provide a scaffolding for people who are going through this tough time.
‘This structure can help people gain an understanding of their experience that allows them to move forward, rather than simply spinning and re-experiencing the same negative emotions over and over.’
( more here )
See Also:
You Can Write Your Way Out of an Emotional Funk. Here’s How. by Susan David
WoeBot, The Chatbot Therapist, Will See You Now – The Rise of Chatbot Therapy
A Rescue Plan For The Anxious Child by Andrea Petersen
For Some of Us Running Is the Key To Managing Depression And Anxiety by Scott Douglas
Victimhood, Victim Blaming, and Moving On
Victimhood, Compassion, and Time Limits
Codependency Is Real And It Can Leave Women Vulnerable to Being Abused or Taken Advantage Of
