Guest post by Tricia Easter Writing for Your Mental HealthIt wasn’t until my 40’s that I started a consistent writing practice to support my mental health. Before I had always written in a journal off and on. My writing practice was the outlet I needed to heal debilitating anxiety and rebuild my self-trust, which I lost because of the anxiety. I first started journaling daily to document my three-year intensive spiritual study of the different angels and archangels. While I had anticipated results from my spiritual studies, I was surprised about the impact my writing practice had on my anxiety. The cathartic nature of writing proved to be very healing for my mental health. Benefits of WritingSomething as simple as putting pen to paper can be transformative. Writing has the ability to align our mind, body, and soul so that we know the direction we need to go. It helps to clear our mind wo that we can feel calm and comforted. Done consistently, writing can extinguish the flames that ignite anxiety. With the shame and stigma associated with mental health, writing is a safe outlet for us to express ourselves openly and honestly. Below are three ways writing is beneficial for our mental health. Express and Process EmotionsSometimes when we’re experiencing anxiety, all our feelings get lumped into feelings of anxiety, stress, and overwhelm, just to name a few. Writing can help us sift through our feelings so that we have clarity about exactly what we’re feeling, what caused that feeling, and if there’s anything we need to do differently in the future. Gaining clarity about our emotions is a big step in uprooting anxiety. When we’re feeling frustrated or angry about something, writing in a journal is a healthy outlet, allowing us to hash everything out. Understanding exactly what we’re feeling helps to ease anxiety because we can then process these emotions. Find Our VoiceWriting helps us to connect with our true authentic self, who we are at our core. With busy and demanding schedules, it’s easy to lose touch with ourselves, and anxiety is a reminder that we need to reestablish that connection. I’ve noticed that many people who have anxiety (myself included) prefer to hide their true nature out of fear of judgement or persecution from others. And in hiding ourselves, we’re also not speaking up for ourselves. Many of us don’t really know what our own voice sounds like. Writing allows us to find our voice as we start to ask ourselves questions and answer them honestly. How do we feel about certain situations and people? What do we believe about the world around us? What’s important to us? What are our boundaries? Writing creates space for us to hear and reclaim our voice and express it in a safe way. Expressing and processing our emotions plays a big part in helping us find our voice too. Creative OutletWhether you write in a journal or for a specific genre, writing gets your creative juices flowing. Being creative is very therapeutic. Creating helps us to build our confidence, which can take many hits when dealing with mental health issues. Being creative also teaches us to listen to and trust our intuition, which we’re tapping into as we write. Writing and creating regularly also helps us to develop the capacity to think of new and different solutions to our problems. We’re better equipped to think “outside the box,” which helps when dealing with anxiety. Creativity helps us with self-expression too, because for many of us anxiety is a sign that our souls are screaming to be seen and heard. Start Your Writing PracticeI recommend a writing practice for everyone who has anxiety. Writing in a journal, writing a memoir sharing experiences, or doing some creative writing all support our mental health. Writing in whatever style lights us up sets healing in motion. The more we write, the more we shed light on our mental health which paves the way for deep healing. Below are three ways to start a writing practice. Get CozyFeeling cozy helps to settle our frayed nervous system and ensures we keep showing up daily for our writing. We’re more likely to show up for our writing practice if we enjoy how we feel doing it. The cozier we feel writing, the more we will look forward to it. We should make sure we’re writing in a comfortable spot, whether it’s on the couch, at the park, or at our desk. Lighting a candle and pouring a cup of tea are some examples of things we can do to create a cozy setting. Establishing a comfortable writing environment signals to our nervous system that we’re safe, allowing us safely navigate anxiety and heal it. Have FunHaving fun is along the same lines as getting cozy, except we’re tapping into our inner child. As a young girl I LOVED picking out fun journals, cool pens, and cute folders. Thinking about what colors and patterns we enjoy allows us to have fun with our writing. If we like our writing tools, we’re more likely to show up and write every day. Just seeing my beautiful notebooks gets me excited about writing in them. A Little Bit of StructureI’m hesitant to recommend adding structure to something creative, however setting a daily routine to write helps us to show up consistently. Adding some structure helps to make daily writing a pattern. And writing gets easier the more we do it. It gets easier to tap into that flow where the words come easily. Committing to a general time every day ensures that we get our writing in. We can select a time that works for us, such as in the morning before our day begins or before bed. Also, setting an intention for how much we want to write is helpful. For example, aiming for a certain word count or writing a page a day in a journal. Even if it seems like we’re writing gibberish, knowing ahead of time how much we intend to write helps us to get in the habit of getting words on paper (or our computers). The purpose of a writing practice is to build self-trust, to find and use our voice, and to ultimately heal anxiety. Using our writing as a tool helps us to safely lean into our anxiety and learn from it. Adopting a writing practice will help us understand anxiety and how it affects us. Writing is a tool that has the potential to free us from anxiety.
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Bio: Tamatha Cain is a former musician and bandleader. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of North Florida with a degree in English. Her work has appeared in national and international publications. Awards include: 2022 Florida Book Award, 2020 Royal Palm Literary Award, and grand prize in The Experience Poetry Competition. She writes reviews for Southern Literary Review, and is a member of Women's Fiction Writers Association, Women Writing the West, WFWA Historical Fiction Affinity Group, and Florida Writers Association. She is a wife and mother of three and lives in a hundred-year-old bungalow in North Florida, in close proximity to the historic locations found in her debut novel Song of the Chimney Sweep. Learn more about her on her website or follow her on Twitter or Instagram. Interview with Tamatha CainThank you to author Tamatha Cain for taking the time to answer my questions. It was a joy to get to know you better. When did you know you wanted to become an author?It first occurred to me that I was a writer when several teachers encouraged my writing. When did you first consider yourself a writer?I can't remember not thinking of myself as a writer. I was other things as well, but always a writer. Who is your biggest inspiration?I love to research a wide variety of topics, and the stories behind them get my imagination going to all sorts of places. How do you come up with your ideas?I keep a note on my phone to jot down ideas. One thing in my writing life which never gives me trouble is coming up with ideas. Are your characters inspired by or based on real-life people?Very, very often they are inspired by real people. Sometimes it is only a mannerism or a particular part of their personality, but I collect interesting traits for future use. What comes first, the plot or the characters?The main character usually comes first, but not always. The idea for a book concept comes first, then I need characters to live it out. What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?I cannot listen to music while writing. As a former musician, I find it way too distracting. How did publishing your first book change your writing career?It was great to have that book to show people, and when that first book won a Florida Book Award, it was an uplifting and encouraging experience. Have you ever gotten writers block? How did you work through it?Not really. I have more of a problem with procrastination and perfectionism. If the story is fully fleshed out, then the scenes tend to come rather easily. I have hit roadblocks when faced with edits as I still haven't found the most comfortable way for me to make changes without getting lost in the manuscript. I enjoy using Scrivener, but sometimes it's too easy to move files and suddenly the flow of the story is upset in ways I can't see. That is not fun. What are you working on now?I recently set aside an idea I've been researching for several years to work on a new idea I'm terribly excited about. It's in that phase where one is terrified someone else has already done it, but I'm going for it anyway. What advice would you give to aspiring authors?Try to tune out all the noise of the publishing world as much as you can, at least while you are writing. Social media makes it seems as though everyone is getting a book deal and it's easy to compare yourself and your progress. Focus on your work and making it the best it can be and then tune back in to the world of queries and pitch events. What do you like to do when you're not writing?My husband and I love to watch British mystery shows, lots of PBS Masterpiece Theatre lately. Also, we travel to watch our favorite baseball team. Trying to see them play in every stadium. Tell me, what are three things that are unique about you?My dad was in the Air Force, so I lived in four countries and seven different states before I turned 18. I live in a house that is over 100 years old. I used to be a bandleader, and I also used to own a custom cake shop. Orange Blossom Publishing Books by Tamatha Cainby Arielle Haughee Writing Workshop Descriptions: |
Arielle Haughee (Hoy) is a seven-time RPLA-winning author, editor, speaker, and publisher. She is the owner of the small press Orange Blossom Publishing and was previously the Executive Vice President and Marketing Chair for the Florida Writers Association. She was honored with the President’s Award from FWA in 2020, and in 2021 Pling’s Party was awarded Children’s Book of the Year. She is also the recipient of a Purple Dragonfly Award for Piper and a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award for Sixth Sunday. She has a serious reading addiction, fantasy romance her absolute favorite, and loves nothing more than good conversation paired with a good wine. She is surrounded by males at home—a husband, two sons, and an energetic dog—and tries to integrate as much purple and flowers in the house as possible. |
Kerry Evelyn is the author of the Crane’s Cove series, #sweetresortromance set in Coastal Maine, the Palmer City Voltage #sweethockeyromance series, a Guest Author for the Cat’s Paw Cove series, and several short stories that span multiple genres. Kerry received a Bachelor of Science in Education and Sociology from Bridgewater State University in 2000. A native of the Massachusetts SouthCoast, she changed her latitude and now calls the Orlando area home. Kerry loves God, books, cats, traveling, taking selfies, sweet drinks, and escaping into her imagination. You can find her on Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, Facebook @KerryEvelynAuthor, Instagram @KerryEvelynBooks, and Twitter @theKerryEvelyn. Visit KerryEvelyn.com to subscribe to her newsletter and learn more! |
The wisdom of Elizabeth Little is a unique blend of practical know-how, irreverent humor and a handle on life’s magic. Her deep Midwest roots and stretch of California living have created a woman who understands everything from “Git ‘er done!” to Zen gardening. Mrs. Little has retired from teaching mathematics and currently resides in her Kavanaugh family’s ancestral home in Hamilton Missouri where she runs a small tea shop and writes. |
Jessica L. Beck is an HR Professional living in Florida with her family. She writes on human resources and lifestyle topics with a passion for process improvement in all areas of life so we can cut the clutter and enjoy life more. Find Jessica’s new book, Be Your Own Career Coach: A Workbook to Navigate Career Change, on Amazon. Read more of her writing here: https://jessicalbeckwriting.my.canva.site/ Contact Information LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacarrarobeck/ Email: jlbeckbooks@gmail.com |
Arielle Haughee is the owner and founder of Orange Blossom Publishing.
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