How to Nurture Your Mental Health to Become a Better Writer
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“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
We are all writers, and we all have a story to tell. Yet, many of us are held back by low self-confidence and feelings of unworthiness. These emotions do not mean you can not be a writer. We all feel these emotions. As a result, we must learn to manage them through sound mental health practices. To be a good writer, we have to learn how to tap into all the scary bits of ourselves that makes us magnificently human and use them to connect more deeply with ourselves and our readers.
I've wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. Words always captivated me growing up. I would spend hours and hours devouring books, poetry, and anything I could get my hands on. I loved how free I felt spilling my guts out on paper and how reading the words of others could take me to another place. At a time in my life when I needed an escape, reading and writing provided comfort and gave me strength.
When I first began pursuing writing in college, I had no idea how painful it can be to pull a story out of yourself. There were wounds I didn't want to touch, so it was easier to pretend to be someone else when I wrote, and it showed. I craved validation from others to compensate for my lack of self-worth. I was desperate for a sense of belonging and wrote what I believed would be palatable to most people. As a result, my writing was bland and had no real voice or point of view.
After that, I lost my lust for writing and struggled to flesh out anything. What was once an outlet became a burden. I had no way to express myself and I became withdrawn. Under those circumstances, I was easily manipulated by anyone and anything. I fell into a cycle of depression and self-deprecating behavior that had some pretty severe consequences.
Being a writer takes a unique kind of fearlessness; it takes grit, courage, authenticity, and vulnerability. Our readers can tell when we are faking it, our words lack the depth of emotion, and our writing becomes unrelatable. At some point in our lives, we all feel misunderstood or like we are strange. But the dark parts of us are what makes our writing unique.
Think of your favorite book. The most beautiful moments of character development usually follow some earth-shattering event. These moments resonate with us because we can link them to something similar in our own lives.
“Everything will line up perfectly when knowing, and living the truth becomes more important than looking good.”
Finding your voice as a writer is one of the biggest challenges that newbie writers face. I believe the culprit of this phenomenon is the fact that many new writers struggle with their own identity. Your voice in terms of writing is like your fingerprint. It is the YOU in your writing. If you have a poor sense of self, it is nearly impossible to find your voice.
As writers, we have to take the time to unearth who we really are and the things that make us tick to find our unique writing style. How can you know what you want to say or how you want to say it if you have no idea who you are?
Once I began to taking care of my mental health, I began excepting all the things that made my story worth telling. Consequently, writing came more smoothly for me. The following are some simple things you can do today that will improve your mental health and simultaneously improve your writing:
Journaling
Journaling is highly regarded for its ability to help clear our mind of clutter and help us make sense of our emotions. Similarly, the best way to find your voice as a writer is to write as frequently as possible. You don't have to write about anything in particular. Instead, notice how words naturally culminate in your mind and practice making them flow on paper.
Meditation
Meditation is defined by Merriam- Webster as "engag[ing] in contemplation or reflection.” Meditation is perfect for prewriting or when you've reached a roadblock in your work. Not only does it help reduce stress, but it is the perfect catalyst for inspiration. Meditation teaches us to clear our minds, which is akin to pressing the reset button for your brain. It dulls the influences of outside sources we take in every day and allows us to tap into our inner voice.
Reading
Reading as a form of self-care is not a radical idea. Neither is the fact that it drastically improves your prowess as a writer. As I mentioned earlier, I once used reading as a way to escape painful emotions. However, I've learned reading is most potent when it is used to feel more deeply.
When we are mindful of why we are feeling certain things when we are reading, it can help us better understand ourselves. Moreover reading different styles can help us develop our voice as a writer by exposing ourselves to different styles. It also strengthens our vocabulary giving us more ammunition as impactful writers.
The journey of a writer can be a difficult one, but when you choose to show up as yourself, it illuminates the path. It goes without saying, we are our greatest asset as writers, and we must take care of ourselves primarily before we can be of any use to others.
At the end of the day, learning to honor ourselves allows us to become better writers as well as better humans. How could that ever be anything but a good thing?
Nurturing your mental health doesn’t have to be done alone. Join the tribe with our new course, 30 Days to Create a Sustainable Writing Practice, where we delve into limiting mindsets, negative beliefs about our writing and unpack the reasons we love to write while forming a practical writing routine. Together we can achieve our writing goals and find healing in the process.
About Jade Scott
Jade is a freelance writer and poet in Miami, Florida. She is a self-proclaimed nutrition nerd and lover of wellness. Jade is most proud of her ability to adapt and find light in any darkness. You can find her on Instagram @withlove.Jade.