07/03/2019

Since I have gotten such great feedback on my last post on Mental Health Writing Exercises. 

 

I decided to make this a thing every few weeks by giving you all 5 new writing exercises each time.

It is very easy to get caught up in an everyday life. And in that case, it can cause a lot of stress and anxiety. A lot of procrastination and basically one to have no focus at all. This leads us to exercise 1.

Writing Exercise 1: Describe where you are. Who you are with. What you are doing. Use full details.

• This is to make sure one stays in the moment and does not let their brain wander outside of what they are currently doing. The more ‘free’ one is. This is also to help you appreciate your life and what you are doing in the moments.
• If there is something bad happening (for example a fight). Write what is happening/what you can do to change it and how you will succeed in making all those changes.

Writing Exercise 2: Are you the same person on Social Media as you are in Real Life? How real are you on social media?

**This one was an eye-opener for me.**

• Be honest. Nobody else is reading it. Do you only post great things. Do you hide everything about your life behind closed doors.
• If you were to meet your Social Media Person, would you be able to be friends with them. If they were to meet you would they be able to be friends with you?

** Most people get hidden in the reality of social media, hiding behind closed doors. Don’t let the few likes and comments change you. Be you.

Writing Exercise 3: What is one thing in your search engine, that you have recently looked up that make you feel a certain emotion about. Why?

*Note: The emotions does not have to be happy. It could be any emotion about anything you have searched up.

**This one was also an eye-opener for me. I won’t share mine that I used for therapy. However, here are some examples you can follow.

Example: Puppies, to make me feel better about a crappy day.

Example: Wanting to master building a table, looking online for instructions.

Writing Exercise 4: Free-Verse. Basically this is my favorite one. You start off with the first line of your favorite song.

*My favorite song is: Dancing on My Own (Calum Scott).

First line is:

Somebody said you got a new friend

Then you use the word friend to find a new line. And after 20 or so lines later you have a new ‘song’.

Unconsciously, the ‘song’ you come up will be based on little thoughts of your life.

Here is a partial example of the song I made when I finally made the toughest decision to let someone I was really close too out of my life. Causing a hundred more doors to open and feel overwhelming.

Somebody said you got a new friend

Friend, you come and go. 

Go away, now while I can feel the strength to heal. 

Heal the wounds. One by one. 

One step at a time.

Time will determine, everything will be okay. 

 

Writing Exercise 5: What purpose does writing serve in your life/in your recovery? Why do you feel writing can help you express emotions nobody else can?

**Note: This can be broad or detailed. Depending on the writer.

**I have not done this exercise yet. It is in one of my upcoming therapy lessons.