Blog 40: Writing for your Brain
- Angie Halliwell
- Oct 12
- 9 min read

Hello again. As October is Mental Health Awareness Month, and is something I feel strongly about, I‘m going to chat a little about how writing can improve our wellbeing. There are so many people who are attempting to deal with the stresses of life, and it isn’t gender or age specific. It’s clear that we are in an age where wellbeing should be everyone’s top priority. If you read my post on this topic, back in May, then you will know my family has a history of mental health issues, including myself. Having watched my mum being hospitalised numerous times and her health deteriorate later in life, I take my own wellbeing very seriously. Having two children makes me incredibly aware that I need to be well enough to help and support them.
If you are going through a stressful time, a carer for a family member (like myself), are suffering with grief, trauma, have a serious health condition or struggling with concerns over family members, it is likely that you will notice a decline in your mental health. If you don’t look after your wellbeing you can suffer with anxiety and depression, along with physical symptoms like headaches, stomach problems, panic attacks, high blood pressure, various aches and pains, and it can affect your immune system making you susceptible to catch viruses. Stress can also affect weight gain or weight loss and your energy levels. So with all that in mind, there are a few things I find beneficial to manage my own mental health.
But first, as we are all creative writers, let's start there! Writing is incredibly beneficial to us. It strengthens the neural connections in your brain, improving memory, enhancing emotional regulation, and reducing stress. Handwriting, specifically, engages more of the brain than typing, giving you more time to process and increases the chances of retaining the information. It can also boost your mood and give you more confidence.
Think back to when you started a new writing project, full of excitement as you get your ideas onto the page. Creative writing is wonderful to distract you and gives you something positive to focus your attention on and can improve your self esteem. Creating something is a very rewarding experience, especially when you are able to share it with others.
Let's take a look at the different types of writing that can help you improve your wellbeing and help you to become more self-aware: -
Expressive journaling - similar to a diary, you can use this to record events or traumatic experiences. Write for several minutes to get everything onto the page and the associated feelings. This can assist you in processing your emotions. Transferring the information from your head into writing can feel like a release. Seeing it written down can help you find a way to work out your problem and break it down into smaller parts, reducing the feeling of being overwhelmed. I do a similar thing when I have a lot of tasks to complete: I write them down in a list, prioritise which are urgent, which can be left for another day, and which are really not necessary (you want to do them but the world won't end if you don't do it). Then I tick them off as I complete them. As each one gets struck through, you feel a little lighter and more accomplished.
Gratitude journaling - you can also use journaling to keep a record of the positives of your day. Sometimes you can have a great day but one thing happens that seems to cancel everything else out, and the whole day is written off as a failure. When, in reality, 75% of it was wonderful. Sometimes we need to focus on that 75% and try to bring that to the front of our mind, rather than dwell on the negative. Writing down and reinforcing the positives, can help to fight off the negative thoughts that cloud our heads and pull us down. So, write down all the things you have accomplished, no matter how small. They add up and show that you are doing better than you think. It is also great to look back on it, to remind you of what you are capable of in the times when that little voice in your head is whispering to you that you aren’t clever enough or strong enough.
Visual journaling – perhaps for those more creative among us, who are good at drawing, or even if you aren’t, drawing or painting to express how you are feeling is another way to go. This can be accompanied by writing notes afterwards to help break down those emotions and process them.
Court of Law - You don't need a barrister's wig for this by the way. Though, by all means, wear one if you're feeling it. This writing exercise is to help you tackle negative thoughts and is something I have used when in a counselling session. At the time I was getting incredibly tearful and the counsellor was asking me what thought was triggering that emotion. Sometimes this takes a bit of delving into. You may feel down but you aren't quite sure why. Mine was that I felt like a failure, that anything I tried would go wrong and that made me a weak person. So, I was asked to write two lists, one which supported this theory and the other that suggested it was incorrect. At the end of the exercise the list that proved my thoughts about myself were incorrect was much longer. My counsellor then challenged me to voice that if the facts said I wasn't weak, then what was I. I admitted that I was in fact a strong person. She then asked me to write it down on a piece of paper and keep it with me to remind me of what I was capable of on those days that I felt I wasn't enough. Being plagued with negative thoughts is a huge part of mental health and having a way to recognise them and challenge them is a valuable thing to put into practice.
Creative writing – the one you have probably been waiting for! But this doesn’t just have to be writing fiction. You can write about yourself, or you can delve into poetry, or have a go at a script! Jumping into a writing project, whether it is a way to help you work out what you are feeling or just to help you focus on something more positive, will give your brain a break from a negative cycle.
So there you go, all that time you were writing, you were actually looking after your wellbeing! But, of course, writing isn't the only avenue you can go down to get on top of your mental health. Here are the other strategies I use, that you perhaps already do, or may find beneficial: -
Meds
It isn’t something I want to do but as someone once said to me, they would prefer to take a tablet once a day than become ill. I have anti-depressants to keep my mood from getting too low. Going to the doctor and being honest about how you’re feeling is so important to try and get the right help, which could be medication and/or counselling.
Exercise
Regular exercise boosts your endorphins, which lifts your mood, and if you suffer with anxiety, it can settle that adrenaline that is always firing up and making you tense and on edge. You don’t have to go mad, doing something as gentle as going for a walk, a swim or doing yoga would suffice. In fact doing too much exercise can have the opposite effect. However, if you have more energy, you could go to the gym or amp up your workouts with cardio like running, jogging or other intense workouts. Getting into some sort of routine will help your mood and make you feel good about yourself. I have an online workout schedule that has a variety of exercise routines to stop me from getting bored and focuses on all the different muscle groups. There are slower/low impact exercises on some days, more cardio on others and some rest days, to let the body recharge. My daughter has even got me riding a horse a few times, which was fun, though my bum was sore the next day from being bumped against the saddle.
Get out into nature
We spend so much time indoors, I think we often forget how beneficial being out in the fresh air is. I love to go for walks along the side of the local canal or a river, or where I can look out for miles over fields and hills. It seems to relieve that suffocating feeling that I often get, gives a sense of freedom and peace. Breathing in the clean air, listening to the birdsong and being away from the sound of crowds and traffic helps to recharge and refresh me. I’m pretty sure I would love to live out in the middle of nowhere, in the country or a desert island – ahhh.
Listening to music
Whether it’s rock, rap, R and B or classical, taking time to stop and focus on your fav tunes is a wonderful way to recharge and reduce your anxiety. I have a bunch of my favourite tunes stored on Alexa for when I need them. You can also include meditation, where you go somewhere quiet and carry out breathing exercises to help calm your nerves. Taking time to yourself to be in the present and purposefully relax the different areas of your body is soothing for your mind too.
Hobbies
Incorporate something you enjoy regularly into your week to help boost your mood. This could be reading, a bubble bath, shopping, chatting with a friend, painting or drawing. If it makes you feel good, do it! I love reading and writing, however, if I’m tired out from the day, just sitting in front of the TV and watching the latest Netflix series does the trick. If I’ve had a stressful week, a trip out to the cinema or a meal with my hubby can lift my mood and help me reset.
Rest
It is so important to know your limits and if your body is exhausted. You may need to take a break or get a nap. Don’t push your body further than it can manage, it won’t thank you for it and can leave you feeling worse. Find the right balance between pushing yourself to get something done and pushing yourself too much. Learn to say no, delegate to someone else and perhaps turn your phone off. And don't forget to get enough sleep at night. A lack of sleep doesn't help your wellbeing at all.
Talking
Keeping all those worries and negative thoughts inside can intensify them and result in you feeling lost and hopeless. Sometimes just telling someone what’s going on in your head puts things into perspective, and hearing someone tell you that it isn’t as bad as you think, or just listening while you unburden yourself, makes all the difference.
Tips for panic attacks
This can be a frightening experience, being unable to breathe, getting dizzy, maybe even getting tingling or numbness in your face. Though sometimes this is just as it sounds and is an intense panicked feeling, making you get worked up, shout, feel emotional, shake or feel irritable. When you get those feelings of high anxiety and are struggling to calm down, there are a couple of things that can help.
Grounding - Focus on your five senses: sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste and ask yourself what each of your senses is experiencing at that moment. This exercise helps you to bring your mind back to something real and can have a calming effect.
Breathing - Your breathing is possibly erratic and needs to slow way down. Breath in and fill your lungs as much as possible, pause and then let it out slowly for a count of ten. You can repeat this several times until your breathing regulates.
Counting - Did you know that the emotional side of your brain is separate from the analytical side? Focusing on something logical can stop that panicked cycle and calm you down. I was advised to count backwards in groups of threes. This takes your mind more focus, and the emotional part of your brain has to go on hold for you to do it. It worked for me!
I hope some of the tips will be useful for you. To sum up, keep up with your writing and, try some of the above suggestions when you feel your day is darker than it should be. Take care and perhaps be aware of what others are going through too. You just never know what people are trying to cope with.
See you next week!
For anyone dealing with mental health issues at the moment, here are some numbers you can call in the UK: -
The Samaritans at 116 123 for 24/7 emotional support
The CALM helpline at 0800 58 58 58 between 5pm and midnight every day
For urgent situations, NHS 111
You can also take yourself into Accident and Emergency to get immediate help.
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