Writing for Wellness

November 9, 2018
Melanie Katz
Workshop goals
To learn how writing
can help your mental
well-being
To try different writing
exercises that can be
used in your daily life
Benefits of expressive writing
Mental Health Benefits Physical Health Benefits
 Improves psychological  Reduces severity of
well-being symptoms in arthritis,
 Reduced symptoms of asthma and IBS
depression and anxiety  Enhanced immune
system functioning,
including in HIV patients
 Faster rates of wound
healing
Activity: “stream of consciousness”
 Think of a stressful event that happened in the past or
something that is currently bothering you. Write freely
for 3 minutes and don’t stop. Focus on your thoughts
and feelings about the event. Don’t worry about
spelling, grammar, sentence structure, etc.
 Write double-spaced
 Examples: events related to family, friends, school, jobs,
relationships, etc.
Why does expressive writing help?

 Expressive writing can help find meaning in past events

 Study: more than 80% of participants said that
expressive writing gave them newfound insight
 Expressive writing may help reduce long-term stress,
which can lead to better immune functioning
 Increased use of causal and insight words in writing
exercises strongly associated with health-related
benefits
Activity: find meaning
 Using the previous exercise, go
back and add as many causal
words as possible (because, due
to, as a result of, since, etc.)
with explanations
 You can also add insight words
with explanations (realize,
understand, notice)
Benefits of creative writing
Study: increased levels of antibodies after
writing poems on emotional life events
Helps you develop problem solving skills (for
characters within the story)
Helps give you distance and perspective, and
view the situation more objectively
 Plot structure
Climax
- Point of highest tension/drama/conflict

Rising
Epiphany
Action - Moment of realization

Resolution
Inciting Incident
- Event that triggers the story/ point of no return
Activity: follow plot structure
 Using the previous exercise,
organize the event into plot
structure:
 Inciting Incident (point of “no
return” that sets everything into
motion)
 Rising Action
 Climax (point of highest
tension/drama/conflict)
 Epiphany (moment of
realization)
 Resolution (if there’s no
resolution, make one up or
several possible resolutions)
 Supporting characters
I may be an aspect
of the main
character’s psyche
(ex. the shadow)

I have my own I question the

motivations/goals actions/beliefs
that may conflict of the main
with the main character
character
MAIN
CHARACTER
Activity: take a new perspective
 Option #1: Based on the previous exercise, create a
supporting character and write what they would say or
do in response to the main character asking for their
help to find a resolution
 Option #2: if there is another person involved in the
conflict, write down their thoughts/feelings for each
point of the plot structure from their character’s
perspective (in first person)
Journaling and positive writing
 Diary: writing about daily events vs. therapeutic journal:
introspective (feelings, thoughts, analysis)
 Different kinds of journaling: freewriting, positive
prompts, or goal-oriented
 Writing about intensely positive experiences associated
with enhanced positive mood and fewer health centre
visits
Journal prompts for positive writing
 Think about how you would spend a day doing only the things
that make you feel excited, happy or fulfilled. Write a list of
everything you would include in this day, from the time you
wake up until you go to bed at night. Choose at least one thing
from your list to include in your schedule today
 Write a list of the day’s accomplishments
 Write about an event in the future the way you want it to
happen or how you envision your success in achieving a goal
Activity: “the 5 Minute Journal”
Write down 3 things you’re grateful for, 3 goals
for the day, and 3 positive affirmations about
yourself
Tonight, before you go to bed: write down 3 good
things that happened today, and 3 things you
could have done to make today even better
Set a reminder to try this everyday for a week
 3 ways writing can help your mental well-
being
1. Writing can help you find 2. Organize your present…
meaning in your past…  Use positive writing journal
 Write in a stream of prompts
consciousness
3. And give direction for your
 Use causal and insight words future
 Follow plot structure  Try positive writing about future
events
 Take a new perspective
 Try a daily writing routine ex.
the 5 Minute Journal
  Summary slide.
 Maybe group discussion

Thank you so much!

Have a great day 