The Huffington
Post |
By Amanda L. Chan
When is the last time you wrote something? Really wrote something,
putting pen to paper, and not just typing away an email or report on a computer
or smartphone. If it's been awhile, you might want to consider getting back
into the practice -- writing (whether it be expressive writing, like you would
do in a diary, or keeping a gratitude journal) has been linked with a number of
benefits for both body and mind. Read through the list for some ways to write
your way to a better you.
Writing by hand can help you
learn better.
Step away from the computer -- the very act of using a pen or pencil to
put things on paper can help you better retain the information you are writing,
according to research. That's because in the physical act of writing, signals
are being sent from your hands to your brain to build motor memory.
Expressing emotions through
words may speed healing.
Writing down your thoughts and feelings after a traumatic event can
actually make physical wounds heal faster, according to a study from New
Zealand researchers. In this study, participants were assigned to write in a
journal either about their deepest, most innermost thoughts and feelings, or
about anything except their feelings or beliefs. Then, after two weeks, they
had skin biopsies taken -- which left a wound on their arms. Researchers
followed up with the participants until those wounds were healed, and found that
those assigned to expressively write in the journals had faster healing times
than those told to avoid writing about their feelings, TIME reported.
It could help change the way
cancer patients think about their disease.
Attitude is everything, and that phrase couldn't be truer for people
going through a life-changing experience like a cancer diagnosis. A 2008 study
in the journal The Oncologist showed that expressive writing could help cancer
patients not only think about their disease in a different way, but also
improve their quality of life. "Moreover, despite the pilot nature of the
present study, initial findings suggest that a single, 20-minute writing
exercise led to changes in how some patients thought about their illness,"
the researchers wrote in the study.
Consider it a fundamental part
of your gratitude practice.
When's the last time you counted out everything you have to be thankful
for in life? Keeping a gratitude journal could help you feel happier, according
to a study conducted by researchers from the University of California, Davis
and the University of Miami. The New York Times reported that people in the
study who kept a gratitude journal that they wrote in once a week for two
months were more optimistic about life (and, interestingly, exercised more),
compared with people who did not keep such a journal.
And writing down what you're
thankful for could help you sleep better, too.
Spending just 15 minutes a night writing down what you're thankful for
could do wonders for your sleep, according to an Applied Psychology: Health and
Well-Being study. Researchers found that study participants who wrote down a
list of things they were grateful for before bed experienced longer -- and
better -- sleep, Psychology Today reported.
It makes your mind -- and body
-- better.
According to a 2005 article in the journal Advances in Psychiatric
Treatment, the benefits of expressive writing aren't just experienced
short-term -- they can also pay off in the long run. Expressive writing has
been linked with improved mood, well-being, stress levels and depressive
symptoms, as well as more physical benefits of lower blood pressure, improved
lung and liver functioning and decreased time spent in the hospital. Some
research has also suggested that expressive writing could help people with
post-traumatic stress disorder, though TIME notes that some of the research on
writing's effects on psychological health are a little more conflicting.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/12/writing-health-benefits-journal_n_4242456.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living
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