Cómo la escritura puede ayudar con el manejo del estrés

Maya Angelou escribió que “no hay mayor agonía que llevar una historia no contada dentro de ti”.

We often associate expressive writing with a skillset that requires perfection and beautiful use of language. Yet in a more realistic sense, writing can be an effective tool when used for stress management. As adults, we are often expected to “just deal with it” or “let it go,” but life isn’t always that simple. We tend to harbor negative emotions and thoughts that can eventually wear us down emotionally, spiritually and physically. Therefore, it’s important to find positive and productive outlets for stress and overwhelming moments in life.

Expressive writing, or journaling, has been around for centuries as a common practice. James Pennebaker, MD, chair of the psychology department at the University of Texas, Austin, deepened research into the benefits of expressive writing for dealing with stress and trauma. He looked at writing not only as a benefit, but his research also reinforced the opinion that those who wrote about traumatic or stressful events for meaning and insight gained more relief than those who just wrote about the details of their day. Those benefits included, but were not limited to: identifying and managing stressors, emotional healing, increased social support, improved immunity, lower pressure and problem solving.

Es importante saber que una persona no necesita ser un autor publicado para ser un escritor efectivo. El objetivo no es la perfección, es crecer y aprender de las circunstancias que causan estrés y preocupación. El objetivo no es acatar las reglas gramaticales sino concentrarse en cómo te sientes acerca de lo que está sucediendo o lo que ha sucedido en la vida. Por otro lado, si ha estado lidiando con depresión crónica, trastorno de estrés postraumático o cualquier otra enfermedad mental, escribir puede no ser la mejor salida y es muy recomendable buscar ayuda profesional para que lo guíe. Todavía se puede alentar la escritura, pero solo bajo la guía de un profesional que pueda ayudarlo a navegar a través de esas emociones particulares.

Para comenzar, eche un vistazo a los siguientes pasos:

1. Choose an electronic device or an old fashioned journal. If you are worried about someone reading your entries, then you can either shred the paper after you are finished or delete the document.
2. Pick a time during the day when you have at least 15-20 minutes to write without distraction. You can pick what you want to write about or simply start writing without stopping until the time has ended.
3. Take time to reflect upon what you’ve written. What does it mean to you? How does it make you feel? What can you do to turn this into a more positive situation or interaction?
4. Forgive yourself. You may feel things that make you uncomfortable or have anger you did know realize was there. Understand that with writing there is no judgement — only you, pen and paper.
5. If you come to a place where you are overwhelmed by emotion, please stop. You may not be ready to address those things so taking a break and coming back at a later time may be the best action in that moment.
6. Write often. Daily writing would be ideal, but consistency is key. The more you write, the better you become at writing, and the more effective writing becomes as a tool for you to manage stress and your response associated with those stressors.

En última instancia, la escritura ayuda a aumentar la sensación de felicidad, productividad y salud de una persona. Esto conduce a una interacción más positiva con nuestro entorno externo. Feliz escritura y recuerda encontrar gratitud incluso en momentos de angustia. Escribimos nuestro camino hacia un lado positivo.