Writing Depression . Help

How can writing help overcoming depression?

I used to do that years ago. Back when Anxiety and Depression used to be my worst nemesis.Bring a Journal Book or a Diary, or even a piece of paper.I know this is commonly suggested, but stuff that for a moment and listen to this idea.Once you have this book, paper, etc. Don’t just start writing out your probs, add and improve other hobbies and talents by decorating and designing the book (coloring, drawing decorative patterns around it, place stickers) act like its something coming from your heart with passion and commitment.Once with that, you can then start a drawing and sketch a table or intro on the second page (let the first page consist of the bigger picture or title - you may add a drawing that briefly describes what its about)Then add chapters or daily notes as in (example: I Can’t Sleep - 27th June 2016) (another example: 31st Oct 2016 - Halloween Night) etc.Referring the chapter or moment, add more by writing details and informal or slang urban english depending on your mood.Reading it later, will make you say “Oh crap, am so over this. I did cope with my depression, and found out it wasn’t worth it all”Just add creativity to your book, and make it something that you’ve encountered, yet, have overcome.

Why does writing help depression?

I have struggled with depression most of my teenage years and adulthood. It is a very serious condition that requires treatment and someone to look after you. There are different methods people do to deal with their depression like reading, crying, listening to music, talking to a friend, and my favorite writing. Writing in a Journal is recommended by therapist. It helps you get your feelings down at the moment when you have an overwhelming moment. I have 3 children, a 11-year old born with ADHD, 9-year with Down syndrome, and a 3-year old. So for me I have a lot going on daily and sometimes I find myself just wanting to be myself. I get really frustrated and most of the time end-up writing it out. Writing helps you release all your thoughts at that given moment. The best thing about it, is when you go back over it and just see what was going on at that given moment. For me, I talk about it with my therapist. I know everyone isn't a writer but writing in a journal is more a personal thing. You can journal on MS and protect the file with a password so you don't have to worry about others reading your thoughts. Dealing with depression is very serious and depending on where your at with it, it can lead you down different paths. If you don't have many friends or family that you talk to about it then, writing in a journal can be very good for you. When I was younger 17 and 18 I tried to commit suicide and figured that was not the way I wanted to go out. So I began writing poems and writing in journal. You have to find healthy ways to deal with your depression. It's rough and different days, different issues, but I can manage with my depression. I try not to let it interfere with what I am doing for my children. So you have to be strong, try to stay positive, and write your heart out!

Does writing down your thoughts help you deal with the depression you are facing?

Hey buddy, firstly accept a hug from me. I feel sorry to know about depression (assuming that you are feeling quite low). I don't know you if the answer can help you or not but let me give a try.Now let's have some Qs & As first. What is writing? Writing is a means of expression. When do we express? We express when we have emotions filled inside us that need to come out. What are these emotions? They can be anything like happiness, sadness, sarcasm, anger (many more to name but for now, let's just stick to these ones). How do we express? We express them either by speaking or by showing (drawing, acting) or by writing. How does choosing the way of expression help us? Well, it makes our heart feel a bit lighter. At times it helps us bring closure to the issues that we may be facing. It helps us to mend bridges in relationships. At times it helps us with self introspection.How does writing help us?Writing (by default, in my case) is the best and the most effective way to vomit out the thoughts that float in our minds. When I am happy, I write. When I am sad, I write. When I am in a dilemma, I write. Writing helps a lot, sometimes in order to remove junk from the mind and sometimes to share the feeling of happiness with somebody.We write about what we wish to be, what we do not want to be. We write about our desires, our failures, our mistakes, small deeds that make us happy, incidents that wish to be etched on for a long time.Now, coming back to your question.. Does writing down your thoughts help you deal with the depression you are facing?Yes buddy. It does help to a great extent. :)Peace, Poetry and Power.Warm Regards,Bhavin Shah | Official Website

Does writing help with anxiety disorder as well as depression? If so, why is this the case?

Writing works well for the treatment of trauma because it can change the way traumatic memories are stored in your brain.In the case of depression and anxiety I guess it's more that if writing is an activity  that makes you happy or less anxious then go for it but to my knowledge there hasn't been any studies I know that have directly linked writing to being helpful with anxiety and depression.For things to "work" in therapy you have to test them in a group setting but that doesn't mean things can work for you that doesn't work for everyone. Anxiety is an emotion and it is useful to learn how to cope with this emotion. If writing makes you cope better with anxiety then writing is good.Depression is a mood disorder that is marked by low mood. If writing improves your mood so you aren't feeling depressed then writing is good for depression.In therapy it is useful to explore which things can help us when we are feeling anxious or sad. These things are called coping behaviour and can be different for different people. If writing works for you then writing is a coping mechanism for you so I would suggest you keep writing.The questions shouldn't always be, what works? The question should be, what things can I try to figure out what works for me? If you figure out what works for you then you will have a much easier time handling negative emotions and depression.

Does writing in a journal help with depression?

Journaling, especially the kind where you just write to get things out, not worrying about spelling, punctuation, complete sentences or complete thoughts can be helpful even if you are not depressed, but can be even more valuable when you are suffering.I'm not talking about a diary. While some details of your day may come out, journaling for depression helps relieve what I've come to call “emotional constipation.” Clogged up mental plumbing!Especially if you have spinning thoughts that seem to repeat themselves over and over again, for some reason physically writing or typing out your thoughts gives your brain permission to think that those thoughts have been heard.I even suggest, if you have a program like Microsoft Word, that your password protect your journal to further open up your ability to dump out your mind, to not self censor what are often thoughts that are not true or are really disturbing, but keep coming up in your inner dialog. Things like, “I'll never get better. I'm a horrible person. I wish my boss would get hit by a bus. Everyone hates me …”I also suggest setting a word count, like 500 words, or if on paper, three hand scribbled pages or “I will not stop writing for five minutes.”It is most helpful if you can write so much that thoughts beyond the spinny thoughts come out. Even if you have to write, “this is stupid. There is no easy this will help. I hate writing. I hate writing. I hate writing. Is that a cat outside? I wonder if it is orange …”It's not about content, it is about attaching physical motion to get your thoughts out, to create new spaces in a tangled mind!Good luck. Keep writing!

Does writing about depression help depressed people vent?

This is actually a very interesting question. I go back and forth on this one.One the one hand it is sometimes helpful to write about depression if you are depressed. I wrote a great deal about my experiences in depression when I was depressed. It did not lessen the depression but it gave me a record of my experiences so that I would never forget the pain. On the other hand, I never share those writings because I know they might trigger depression or worsen depression in those suffering with depression now.I have come to this conclusion.If you want to write about your experiences with depression do so. Keep a journal if you like. If it helps you feel better temporarily then that is great. It will not cure the depression though. But for everyone’s sake, please do not publish or share these writings on the internet for all to see. Keep them to yourself or to your immediate inner circle. For those on the edge and those in depression it can increase and spread depression and I am sure you would not want to do that.I see many people posting depressing images and posts on Instagram and other social media. Some do it to reach out for help but many do it to get sympathy and attention. Many of these people are not really even depressed. It is very sad that they would do this for attention when it harms others.I wrote an article on how it feels to be in severe clinical depression. You can read it here. Consider how it makes you feel. I end the article with the solution to getting out of depression so I can offer hope to those suffering in the darkness. That makes a great deal of difference. It is important that people realize that there is hope. That they can get rid of depression. If there is no hope of ending the pain then it just increases the darkness.I hope this is helpful.Take careJon