The words we choose to document our lives — those we read, those we write, those we speak to ourselves and others — influence what we hold as truths. I have a little note (and a poem) for you on healing through writing. I’ve learned firsthand that putting negative experiences into words has positively profound effects.

Healing Through Writing: A Short Poem

I wish I could tell you

about all those days

of darkness.

Until then,

take these pages —

they bear my soul,

became a home.

“There is a certain catharsis in being able to tell your story, in confronting your demons.” — Colum McCann

Words as Therapy

My ultimate goal here is to heal through words. Writing them especially has given me another chance at living fully after tragedy. By sharing that healing openly, I hope to give others, like yourself, a moment of support wherever and however you need it most.

Expressive writing is essentially when you pour your heart, soul, and story into words. Its therapeutic power can help you better cope with upheavals and hardships, setting the stage for deep healing that’s genuine and enduring.

Reading someone else’s heart-and-soul story can be just as cathartic; it can contribute to your own healing process in a meaningful way because you’re met with the grace of knowing, feeling, that you’re not alone. You feel heard in the other person’s statement. You feel validated, consoled, supported.

“What is therapy but a form of storytelling?” — Colum McCann

Words are intimately tied to our emotional experience, so much so that the words we repeatedly use and consume shape our perception of the world and our place in it.

The words we use, and how we use them, can hurt or heal and they illuminate our internal nature: our personality, preferences, priorities, and psychological state.

Affirmations are thus more than a New Age trend: “I am” statements serve to awaken the healing journey. They wake us up to how we really think of ourselves and our place in the world. Can we learn to think differently? Can we learn to forgive, to accept, to hope, to give, to offer gratitude even still?

If we can, perhaps we’ll feel and act differently.

Writing your own affirmations is incredibly empowering when you choose the words that resonate with why and how you want to heal. Reading and repeating them serves the steps we must take to feel and be better because we’re literally speaking our truth.

Poetry also gives one a reason, or several, to pause and think.

Mindfulness gives the #healing process some legs to stand on and move forward with.

Writing about your negative experiences is a very powerful way to move in the direction of healing. At some point, it becomes easier to recall the beauty and then to create some beauty. Maybe it supports positive new memories or gives meaning to the struggle.

Then it becomes more like second nature. You grow. You are showing up for yourself. You can better show up for others. Share your story, and you might even be a light for someone.

Until you’re supported enough to support others, writing gives you a chance to be a light for yourself. And that is necessary for some (like me).

If you’re not much of a writer, that’s okay too. Expressive writing isn’t about writing well. It’s about writing everything that would corrode your spirit if you kept it hidden.

If you’re in a season of healing where reading is what you need the most, do that. That’s the other reason why I’m here, writing.

. . .

Tell me:

What words remind you of healing? (words like hope or home or help, in your writing or reading selections or conversations)

Tell me in the comments. I read every single one, and I’d love to know!

With love,

Jen