Scientific proof that writing will change your life. By Ellie Herman 2/23/15
In her article Ellie references a particular type of writing: personal narrative writing, also known as “self-expressive writing.”
That’s Journaling to me!
Throw in a guided 17-Day TROML PLAYBOOK to lead you through the sequential and magical topics to write about and it will become not only a health exercise but a learning and transitional way to a new life. Forever 36.
Grab a composition book and a pen and let’s get started right now! TROML Baby!
Here are some excerpts from Ellie’s article (use link above for the complete article).
Writing every day is good for you. And not just any writing; not grim, dutiful five-paragraph essays, but personal narrative writing, also known as “self-expressive writing.”
A recent article in The New York Times reported that studies at Stanford and Duke universities, as well as the University of Texas, have shown that “writing about oneself and personal experiences can improve mood disorders, help reduce symptoms among cancer patients, improve a person’s health after a heart attack, reduce doctor visits and even boost memory.” Struggling students at prestigious colleges who wrote personal narratives about overcoming challenges were four times as likely to finish college as struggling students who did not write these narratives.
…these studies validate what I learned over and over as a teacher, and what I continue to learn as a life coach, which is that people have a deep need to tell the story of their lives. In telling our stories, we shape our daily experience into a coherent narrative, linking our joys and sorrows to an ever-increasing understanding of what it means to be human…
…The act of writing, of finding words, helped me grasp what felt ungraspable: memory, joy, failure, loss, hope, the whole wild mashup of life experience. And so, I’m grateful that these new studies prove what I’ve sensed for so long, because they’ve made me hopeful that this act of making meaning of our lives through narrative, so fundamental to our humanity, will resume its place along with data as a way to understand and navigate our lives…
Maybe if we all write for 15 minutes a day, we won’t exactly change the world. But, with the full weight of science now behind me, I can tell you that writing your own story will change your own life. And who knows what might happen next?
End of Ellie Herman’s article.
Forever 36 Baby… science is great, enjoy our technological world for sure, but life is all about being human… don’t miss out on the greatest opportunity of your life to seek and find, then accept with compassion and truly love yourself first and others second. I can be Forever 36 and so can you!
Have a TROML Day Today!
Anonymous Andy
Your Personal Revivalist
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