Putting pen to paper

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Putting pen to paper

7:00

I found myself being drawn to writing these distressing thoughts down on paper.

I had subconsciously left an A4 notepad on the dining table. When these thoughts started to bubble up, I’d sit at the table and scribble them all down. In a funny sort of way, I found it cathartic. And when I read it back, I saw those thoughts I’d written down from a different perspective. They often felt banal and less intense. Looking back all those years, I was “journaling”. But I didn’t know that that was what I was doing, and that it’s a recognised way of processing emotional trauma. 

These days, though, very few of us put pen to paper, preferring to document things on our laptops or make notes on our phones because it seems quicker and more convenient. Yes, it is quicker, but we don’t retain as much of what is recorded, and it’s not so cathartic.  A study was done comparing university students taking notes in lectures using pen and paper to those using laptops. Although the latter made more thorough notes and were faster than those who used pen and paper, the former actually retained more and did better in their exams. This is due to several reasons. Because writing is much slower, the brain has to filter and document the most relevant information, and this takes active thinking. The physical act of writing engages both the left (logical) side of the brain and the right (creative) side, as well as the areas involved in motor control and sensation. There is, therefore, both a physical and sensory memory.  You then also have the visual cue of where it is written on the paper. On the laptop, there are no such cues. As a medical student, I scribbled notes in my textbooks and underlined sentences in coloured pens. All these years later, I may not be able to remember certain facts, but I can still remember which book and page to find the answer!

Letter writing.

When did you last write a letter? Hundreds of years ago, the only way to communicate news with another person, if you weren’t living with them or within walking distance, was to write a letter. These letters were often pages long and written over several days. They contained details of all areas of the writer’s life, the weather, conversations, events, and some of it may seem like trivia compared to today’s standards. They were very personal, communicating emotions and challenges. Reading these letters now, you get a real sense of that person’s life all those years ago.  They served many purposes. They were often cathartic, the writer describing painful events. Having to describe events, situations and what you saw would require being very attentive to your surroundings and then having to pull the appropriate words from your mind to describe them. And then, of course, there is the structure of the language. This engages many different areas of the brain. 

Developing the imagination.

Creative writing is another activity that engages many areas of the brain, especially if using pen and paper. In order to write about a scene or a physical experience, you have to first visualise that experience, imagine what you see, hear, feel, smell, and the emotions and then find the appropriate words to describe that experience and then put them in a coherent order to make sense.  Some of these words that you may not have used in years have to be pulled from the depths of your mind. If you are creating a scene that you have never experienced before, then you are creating something new.

This latter technique can be used to manifest things into your life. By imagining what the perfect job would be like or perhaps your perfect home, you can change the energy and vibration of yourself, which then attracts the thing you want into your life. 

Journalling 

This is why journaling is so powerful. The time of day you journal really depends on the purpose of the journaling. Journaling in the morning is particularly good for setting intentions for the day. If you have a challenging meeting with the boss, you can write about how you would like the meeting to go. You can write about all the aspects - how your boss responded, how you felt in control and confident and relaxed, how you felt leaving the office, and getting your desired outcome. 

Or, you may have a challenging journey, so you could write about how the journey went smoothly, you got there on time, and you found your way easily. 

Or perhaps, you want to work on how you feel through the day, relaxed, confident, creative and productive, and run through all the different activities you’ve got, seeing them going well. 

Journaling just before going to bed has different benefits. You can offload anything negative that has happened during the day. Dumping it onto paper stops the mind spiralling out of control after you switch the light out. This could then be followed by writing about everything that went well during the day, and what you achieved. This helps focus the mind on the good bits and makes you feel calmer and more positive. How you feel prior to going to bed has a huge impact on how you sleep.

Journaling last thing at night is also good for priming the subconscious. There may be a challenging decision you need to make, or a problem you need to solve. Writing down the outcome you want, with how it feels, what your life would look like, spurs the subconscious into action to find a solution. The subconscious has all the answers.

What one thing could you start doing today, to start using pen and paper? As a suggestion, carry a small notebook with you to jot down things you need to remember. I have one by my bed and in my bag. You’ll find that you remember them, without having to refer back. The number of times I write a shopping list, and then never refer to it while shopping!

If anything resonates in this blog, that you’d like help with, why not book a free 20 min call with me to discuss how I may be able to help. This can be booked through my website.