Can you write your way through grief?
Can you process grief simply by writing about it? No, you probably cannot. It is important that we share our grief with others and get help to bear it. But at the same time, it is also important that we take the time and space to be alone with our grief and to give it room inside ourselves.
Writing therapy is a method that involves writing about your thoughts and feelings. Often, we are not fully present and aware, and writing therapy can help us connect with what is unconscious to us. It can help you keep track of your thoughts and feelings and express yourself creatively in the process of working through things. What was previously unclear can become clear and we can gain new insights that we can use going forward in our lives and make the best of it.
Writing therapy can take place using specific writing techniques and exercises and can take many forms. It can be a private journal, writing letters, poems, or novels, or it can be a completely different creative process with collages, paintings, or drawings – songs, lyrics, and music.
Yet, if you are in an acute crisis, writing therapy may not be beneficial right now. Therefore, the rule of thumb is that you should only plunge into writing if you think you can write and be creative without becoming overwhelmed or getting worse. If you find that writing or creativity makes you uncomfortable or does not feel constructive stop and talk to someone about it or distract yourself with something else. Also, avoid writing on your own if you have experienced major trauma in the past few weeks. Above all, use your common sense. If you start to feel like it is doing more harm than good, stop! But if the timing is right for you, there can be many positive effects to be gained from the method.
