Writing is a way of organizing our thoughts and making better sense of our world. I would even consider it a form of contemplative meditation. When writing, we connect different concepts together in our heads, mull over different ideas, and often aim at trying to paint a picture or tell some kind of story, narrative, or theme.
- Jeremy Taylor
Whenever we write we are embracing these ideas, allowing them to be expressed, and letting their energy flow through us onto the paper.
Throughout this creative process we too are changing. We are not only becoming more aware of our inner world of meaning, but at the same time we are given a medium to release these built up thoughts, ideas, stresses and desires. We are practicing a form of alchemy – by channeling our energies from something psychological to something material and tangible.
It’s a healing process
Like all forms of art therapy, writing can be healing; that is why I encourage everyone to pursue some kind of creative endeavor. It allows us to step back and put the world into perspective. It also gives us a sense of power and purpose, so we don’t feel completely swallowed up by our daily anxieties, stresses, and fears.
When we create we have something to be proud of, something to show for our efforts, and something that is distinctly unique and ours. This builds up our self-worth and inspires us to be more productive. Pursing any art has shown to do some incredible things for mental health, and it plays a big role in what Positive Psychologist Martin Seligman calls The Meaningful Life, which he considers a central component to happiness.
Carl Jung saw the manifestations of our dreams as ways in which our psyche maintains homeostasis and balance. I believe art and writing can have the same effect. This one video supports this point by showing how art therapy can be used effectively in treating those with schizophrenia.
Do a little everyday
Whether your thing is writing, painting, dancing, or playing guitar, try to do a little bit of it everyday. Think of it as your daily meditation or prayer. It is your way of provoking reality and creating a world of meaning and purpose.
Many people find it therapeutic to keep a journal or diary. Personally, I have been maintaining this blog since June of last year and I already feel ten times better mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I like to write music too, but writing is something that resonates with me at a level I can manage the best. It clears up my thoughts in ways that I find hard accomplishing with other arts. But, everyone may be a little different.
Writing is easy to become engaged in
For many, pursuing an art or writing is a lot more fun and exciting than meditation. While meditation is about stillness and silence, art gives us a way to find tranquility through active expression. When you finish a piece of writing or art there is a wave of relaxation and comfort, not to mention a distinct sense of pride and accomplishment.
So for those who find it difficult to spend time on the cushion, why not turn to writing and art as a secondary form of meditation? It could even still be considered a spiritual practice. After all, who says we need religion and false dogmas? Maybe the true evolution of man is when we recognize that we can harness the same creative power of nature that we so often attribute to God. In a sense, our capacity for creativity and innovation may even make us out to be our own gods and goddesses. In this recognition, we are aware of our own divinity.
When we find something we love doing, it becomes much easier to be engaged in. And engagement is an important aspect to any meditative or spiritual practice.
A stronger sense of self
When we walk away from a piece of writing we have a stronger sense of ourselves. We are a part of the transformation and by the end of the process we have been re-born into something new.
And – isn’t this often the crux of any meditation practice? To increase self-awareness and to watch ourselves grow and change with time? Shouldn’t we all practice this to some degree, even if it is only to facilitate our own personal development and well-being? Just a few minutes a day of reflection and writing can aid one’s life in so many different ways.
The mental state of writing
When we are physically in the state of writing it is just like a state of deep contemplation. We become absorbed in the process of our ideas, thoughts, feelings and emotions. We then attempt to integrate them all in a way that reveals a clear message.
When I am in a state of writing that cannot be disturbed it is like I am in a trance. All my focus is concentrated on the task at hand and on accomplishing what it is I am setting out to do. All of my being is dedicated into channeling my energy outwards into my creation.
January 28th, 2010
You write:
"For many, pursuing an art or writing is a lot more fun and exciting than meditation. While meditation is about stillness and silence, art gives us a way to find tranquility through active expression."
So true! I journal for just this purpose. After years of practice, I have well-practiced form of expression and contemplations. It's when I am under the greatest duress that I come to rely most on what I practice.
When we write, we contemplate. When we write about ourselves, we contemplate our lives. We explore with the pace and the use of language required by this form. We can even use writing as a form of guided meditation, by returning to our body and then writing about the sensations.
Writing itself is a form of perspective. It also requires sense making. These two quality are an essential part of healing any emotional wound.
I post a similar blog post last week: http://www.goodfables.com/blog/the-write-tool.htm…
January 28th, 2010
"We can even use writing as a form of guided meditation, by returning to our body and then writing about the sensations."
Really, really great input Cole. I will check out your blog post pronto.
January 30th, 2010
The wisdom throughout much of what you've written resonates deeply with my own beliefs and practices.
I'm reminded of Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, and it seems that different practices are likely to offer different levels of support for expressing – and evolving or growing – the different intelligences.
I do want to question one of your assertions, though: "When we create we have something to be proud of, something to show for our efforts". I've been grappling with issues of intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivations. For me, meditation – and enlightenment – is not consistent with pride or showcasing anything, in fact, they seem almost opposite.
I'm wondering how the act of writing (or painting or dancing or performing music, etc.) for an audience differs from the act of writing (or other means of expression) for oneself, and how the audience factor affects the prospects for achieving greater enlightenment.
January 30th, 2010
Hey Joe, thanks for the awesome comment!
I think pride has its function. If we are “too proud,” in the sense that we can’t even laugh at ourselves when we make a mistake, then it becomes detrimental. But certainly if we achieve something we should feel a sense of self-worth. We don’t have to be proud of ourselves in a “Oh, I’m the best!” kind of way, but we can be proud of our actions. So by doing this we can feel pride, but not identify with it.
I hope I made myself clear. Either way – thanks for the kind words!
February 1st, 2010
Until I started blogging I never really appreciated the therapeutic aspect of writing, unless you were doing an article under pressure that is.
Having said that, I find sitting down with a god book to be so much better.
February 1st, 2010
Yes! Writing can be so therapeutic!! And even more it helps you improve the communication skills. Wonderful way to show it.
February 1st, 2010
Steve: I agree that pride has a function, I just don’t believe it has a place in meditative practice. I see pride as a manifestation of reflected sense of self – feeling good about how others [may] perceive me – and see meditation as a quest for inward sense of self (or Self). I’m not saying pride is bad, just arguing that it is inconsistent with meditation, and I imagine that people who have achieved meditation mastery are less likely to feel pride than the general population.
Another blogger I enjoy conversing with, Dan Oestreich, has recently written an interesting and related piece On Appreciation, where he differentiates between self-esteem as a quantity and self-appreciation as a process (or practice). For me, meditation is more about self-appreciation (or Self-appreciation) than self-esteem.
All that said, I admit that I feel a boost in self-esteem anytime someone posts a comment or tweets about something I’ve blogged about. I’ve written before on comments as validation, and I still struggle with this issue – I want to have a stronger sense of self that does not rely upon external validation. If my blogging were solely, or even primarily, a meditative act, then comments wouldn’t matter (in my judgment) … but they do, so I think it has more to do with self-esteem / pride … and therefore less to do with meditation than I sometimes like to think.
With respect to the comments by Sire and Pablo, I’m reminded of a Scientific American article that explored the therapeutic value of blogging. It introduced me to the term hypergraphia, and speculated on the possibility that blogging may be trigger the release of dopamine (among other effects).
February 2nd, 2010
I like the thought/concept “writing as meditation”. I need to journal more, it help clear the mind and get perspective.
Lately I just write flaming e-mails to people at work who piss me off and then delete the e-mails.
February 2nd, 2010
@Joe – I don’t see why we can’t include pride in our inward sense of self (to me that is where it should be anyway). We should be proud of ourselves simply based on the evolutionary journey we have taken to get here. All those past lives, all that suffering, all to experience being human. Everyone from Jesus to Buddha to Ayn Rand have seen the dignity of being one. It is something we should all celebrate, and in that sense, have some pride for. It is an amazing accomplishment to be here, to be alive – period!
In regard to your blog – why can’t you still be proud of it without the need for external validation? I didn’t always get as much attention as I do now but I was still proud of my work. Writing is just an extension of my humanity – for that I am proud of it.
Also, thanks a lot for the Scientific American article – very interesting stuff!
@Stephen – Writing about someone who you are really pissed off at, not to give it to them but as a therapeutic tool, can be an incredibly powerful way to channel your energy creatively, release stresses, etc. Awesome idea!
February 3rd, 2010
I’m a full-time writer and writing coach, so this is a topic dear to my heart. I’ve been writing in my journal a lot lately, making an effort to get back to writing in it every day, and today while writing an email I noticed something–not only were the words flowing easier, but I was allowing myself to go a lot deeper in the message than I usually would. I attribute this to returning to my regular journal writing. I am constantly amazed at what a difference regular writing practice makes in my life–and it only takes half an hour a day at most.
February 3rd, 2010
Yes, writing is a great method, and I guess that you could call it a meditation method. I try to journal 20 minutes per day to get stuff out of my head, and it helps a ton – gives me great clarity and enhances my relaxation. While important, I don’t think its effective for everyone. I’ve met people who are intelligent, but dislike writing. Perhaps a means of gaining focus and clarity is different in everyone…
February 4th, 2010
@ Charlotte – I know what you mean! A little writing everyday can make our minds so much clearer!
@ Dan – That is true, everyone has their own different interests. I would still recommend everyone to give writing a shot. They may just dislike it at first because they aren't used to the practice (or they don't consider themselves good at it). To me…writing seems fairly universal, but I can only speak for myself.
February 22nd, 2011
I actually like this post?
Well, you see, for me, I find it hard to get social with people. Once I did this Self directed research which my school counselor gave me, and I got only 1 point for social! That's how bad it is. So, I try to express myself with different things. For example, I do write a lot. I like writing articles, I sometimes write about my life on my blog. I just write and write, all that my mind can say. Truly, they really help in giving that peace of mind.
Other than that, I also favor music. So if I get the chance, I beat up the drums, or pluck the guitar or even play the piano. If these things are out of reach, I always have my Mp3 player by my side, and I will be singing right through with the song, expressing myself.
One more thing I like to do is called, horizontal meditation (Sleeping)
Truly effective!!
Great post Steven!
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February 25th, 2011
Writing is very effective if you want to lose stress. That is what I always do. I just open up my Ezine articles and start write about stuff. If not, I just fire up my blog and write things that bother me..
May 24th, 2011
Two things that actually helped end the “meditation frustration” for me:
1. Don’t fight your chattering mind. When a thought arises, acknowledge it and then let it go. Don’t let it turn into a conversation. And when you have 100 thoughts, just note them all and let them all go – it’s ok to have Monkey Brain for awhile.
2. A Zen saying: “When sitting, just Sit, when walking, just Walk.” Made me realize that I don’t have to try so darned hard. Just relax already! *LOL*
One other thought: Thich Nhat Hahn suggest that every activity, when done with Mindfulness, is meditation. This is a very useful thought! Check out his wonderful book, “Peace is Every Step”. I’d add the Amazon link, but it’s huge. Just search the title.
Best,
Jesablea
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