The Quiet Power That Comes With Writing Things Down

There’s no question that writing things down allows our brain to fully comprehend what it is that we are experiencing. Whether it’s something deep and painful, or something as simple as recording your calorie count for the day, you are actively processing what it is that you are thinking about instead of letting it “go in one ear and out the other.” Your brain is able to wrap itself around that moment on a completely different level.

This is so incredibly interesting to me, not only because we are capable of essentially zooming in on moments that are powerful to us, but because we are also capable of rendering painful memories as powerless as well. All of this by putting a pen to paper!

Odds are, if you’re reading this, you are already interested in documenting your life. Whether you’re wanting to share your legacy with your children, or you’re looking to process some incredibly difficult times in your life, doing so will come with so many benefits. This post is a reminder to push forward even when it feels silly to do so; a reminder to keep going when you aren’t sure it’s still worth your time.

Here is the quiet power that comes with writing things down.

1. Process Things On A Deeper Level
When we write, whether it’s with a pen or even typing on a computer, we are required to slow our thought process. This gives our brain more time to wrap itself around the experience, and soak in what it actually means to us.

2. Regulate Your Emotions
As we slow down, we are also able to pause between feeling and action. Our brain can focus on what our response options are before we act out irrationally.

3. Increase Your Self Awareness & Self Trust
The ultimate super power is that patterns are more noticeable on paper. You can easily clarify what your fears are; your triggers, your values, your beliefs. And in knowing these things you can slowly become the person you’ve always wanted to be. You’re also less likely to be swayed by the thoughts of others.

4. Create A Sense Of Control
The chaos of your life seems smaller when it’s limited to a page. It also allows you to divide and conquer, strategize and attack more easily. You know what you want, now you just need to focus on how to get it.

5. Improve Your Follow-Through
Writing down your goals increases commitment, because the act of writing it down signals to your brain that this holds importance. This is a big reason why people have a physical bucket list!

6. Track Your Progress Accurately
Let’s face it, memories lie. Writing things down allows you to collect the evidence you need to know that you’re making progress.

7. Support Identity Development
Documenting helps to make even life’s craziest transitions, like motherhood, grief, career shifts, etc a little less daunting. If you clearly have pieces of the previous you, it can be easier to clarify who you are today and what you bring to the table in this new world.

8. Reduce Anxiety
If you can write out all of those fears and specifically why they scare you, your brain can more easily clarify why they might not be so scary after all.

9. Decrease Rumination
Those thoughts you keep recycling over and over again? It might seem like writing them down would make it worse, but it actually is a release. The brain is less likely to replay it because it’s safe written down on paper.

10. Process Grief & Trauma
Did you know that expressive writing is actually used in trauma therapy? Writing allows your emotions to move through instead of sitting on replay. You’re processing them and you’re starting to let go.

11. Reduce The Mental Load
Hello fellow moms! I’m talking to you. Writing allows you to free up space in your brain for other things. This is proven in how well people sleep after writing down all of the things they didn’t get done today, or the worries they haven’t yet faced.

12. Gain Emotional Validation
On paper, you can be your own witness, and in doing so your nervous system registers that you’ve been heard, even if only by yourself.

13. Experience Psychological Distance
In being your own witness, you’re more easily able to separate yourself from your problems. It’s almost like navigating along a road map instead of being lost in the maze. Thus, it’s also helping you become better at problem solving.

14. Improve Your Memory
Did you know that writing things by hand activates more regions of the brain than typing? There is something so concrete in writing it in our own handwriting. We are solidifying the past and all that we’ve experienced. We are capturing the lessons we’ve learned one hand-written note at a time.

15. Build Emotional Resilience
Did you know there have been studies that have proven that people who write about their lives recover more quickly from stress and setbacks? This makes perfect sense if you think about it. In writing it, we can clarify if we have any control over something we are dwelling on. If we don’t, we can more easily let it go. If we do, we can decide on what action to take.

It’s time to get to writing!

See you!
Amy

P.S. Love the sticker? It was an Etsy find.