Writing It Down by Prism Book Group author, Penelope Marzec

WRITING IT DOWN

Posted on September 26, 2012 by PrismBookGroup

By Penelope Marzec

I have kept a journal for a long time, ever since I was a child. I do not write in it everyday, but for the most part I faithfully record all major events in my life. During the past few years, my family and I have gone through constant stress of one kind or another. I made the mistake of looking back at some of my entries one night this week, which made me a bit depressed. It’s a wonder I haven’t lost my mind. Oh wait. I’m already slightly loony—I write romances. :^)

After talking with a friend, it occurred to me that maybe the journaling actually has been helpful. My friend does not keep a journal, and she has suffered through some extremely stressful events, too, but she tends to dwell on them. She doesn’t write them down but she does go over and over the incidents in her mind. Well, yes, that’s obsessive, but she doesn’t write romances so she’s probably considerably more sane than I am.

I realized that while I do write down my troubles, I do not dwell on them. True, the problems don’t go away, but I move on—or my pen does at the very least, usually to the next problem. Still, the actual writing seems to be cathartic. It’s not that I don’t remember the difficulties after I record them—it’s just that somehow I forget the sequence—even if the events pile up one on top of another as they usually do.

Journaling is a very good thing according to the article below: http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/the-health-benefits-of-journaling/

So if you’re feeling stressed, write it down–with a pen on paper–you know, the old-fashioned way. Even if you don’t become a romance author–which might be a good thing–you could be doing yourself a big favor.

http://www.penelopemarzec.com