Thursday, July 09, 2009

Writing therapy

(This is a picture of a small room in a village 9000 ft above sea in the Himalayas, where I was holed up without electricity, alone, sick and sad, yet found a reason to write)

It is 11:00 pm at night— not my usual sleeping hour. I sleep at around 2 am in the morning usually. But today, I was tired. It had been a long and stressful day. The previous night too I had stayed back late at office. So, a strong urge to retire to bed had set on me. I obliged. But while you can force your body to rest, you don’t wield the same authority over your thoughts. They will play according to their own will. And they did, deluging my little mind from all directions. Half an hour of shuffling and shifting on the bed was enough for me to get up. I was conscious of some strong thoughts and emotions passing by my mind, as if some flood gates had opened.


I hopped out of the bed and grabbed my pen and a paper. An hour late, I observed my mind was mellifluously calm.


What happened? How did an agitated mind in an overworked body, could find solace in this dumb act of writing? Is there any connection of the act of writing with the mind? Let me explore through my experiences.


Writing according to me is an engaging form of intrapersonal communication. It’s better than meditation, because unlike meditation, where your thoughts wander, writing organizes your thoughts. Your thoughts are given discreet shape to form of letters and words. They are there for you to see as they are in front of you. On the other hand, when you think blankly, your thoughts are ethereal, wandering clusters of ideas.


As you write, these floating thoughts are dragged and grounded down to the paper. In due course, your minds gets uncluttered of these random thoughts. You see them neatly put down on paper. You feel lighter. You feel relieved. This was my take on instant writing therapy.


Let me now talk about writing on the long run—as a gradual habit. Does this help you in any way? And my answer is a resounding yes. I am in my fifth year of writing (blogging). All these years I have been a fitful writer, writing according to my whims and fancies. Days would pass by without writing and suddenly when the moment arrives, I would find myself writing through the night till the dawn would break. But if I draw from my experience and prod over it, I would conclude that:

  • Growth as a person: One grows as a person as one writes. All the self talk and dialog that goes in the mind, as you write, shapes you and hones you to become a better individual.
  • Knowing yourself: Second best thing about writing is that it helps you know yourself better. Trust me on this. You learn to know yourself. Just as a mirror shows you your physical self, writing shows you your soul. You get aware of your deeper secrets. You realize how much of you is a fake; and how much of it is genuine. And that realization again helps in your personal growth.
  • Wings to imagination: Third best thing that writing helps is it bolsters you imagination. You become creative and it brings out the best that is it in you. You begin to express your thoughts better. A constant rigmarole of writing unclogs all sediments of inexpression in your mind. Your mind stays oiled . You become your most refined self—self that God meant you to be.

I had written about the benefits of blogging twice before; one was when I completed my 100th post and one was when I shared my thoughts on what lessons blogging had taught me.


Note: As I finish this post, the watch on the table reads 3:45 am. Have a good day. Good night. :)

7 comments:

Sanjeeb Mahana Thursday, July 09, 2009 10:45:00 PM  
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sanjeeb Mahana Thursday, July 09, 2009 10:47:00 PM  

I cant say more than what you've already written.

Though I'm E-writing since past one year or so, paper writing has been my favourite since school (read 14 years)days.

I'm more organized, humble, respectful and compassionate now.

One piece of advise to novice writers - "Start writing, immaterial of content, and one day who knows you can land yourself with a Booker's".

Anonymous,  Friday, July 10, 2009 9:20:00 AM  

Yes, I can sense what you are trying to express here. One does not need to bother the world , when s/he identifies the right rule of existence. Your high spirits shows the reflection of your true passion towards writing.

Ravi Kumar Saturday, July 11, 2009 12:07:00 PM  

Thanks Sanzz. I am pleased you echo my sentiments! Thanks for your precious feedback

Ravi Kumar Saturday, July 11, 2009 12:08:00 PM  

Thanks wri8er. That was a dose of motivation for me. You too keep up the good work. Cheers!

Girish Mahadevan Friday, October 01, 2010 5:31:00 AM  

great insights, makes total sense to me ;-). Dance like no1's watching, write like no1's reading. ;-)

Just write.

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