by Lynn Groce

“So today was a rough day. Not a sit down on the floor and cry day, but it was edgy in certain spots.”

And if I am honest, it happens a couple of times a week. I don’t know what causes me to have an off day. Normally I am one of those glass half full people, so it takes a lot to bring me down. But when it does, I need to change it and get back on track right away.

The example above could be written by just about anyone. How did it make you feel? Could you relate? Do you feel you need to get your feelings out but don’t know how? I think we all can. There are so many reasons we connect with others. It can be a common bond through family and friends. It might be an event or situation you experienced together. And it could be trauma or just emotional stress that others have shared with you that they have also had to live through.

Regardless of why you connect with them, you just do. Humans by nature are social beings. You share stories with others and that allows people to open up to you. But that is just the first step. As you learn to trust each other, they will share back to you about their life and their stories.

From there we learn that we agave all been through situations and experiences in our lives that have caused us stress, anger, sadness, or pain. And we want to help each other. It is normal to have compassion towards others, even if we have not had a particular experience. But many of us are not equip medical to give a strong medical solution. We cant offer them a solution. They need more from a professional point of view. Unfortunately, when it comes to therapy, not everyone can afford it, because it’s not always covered by insurance. And medication is expensive. So what choice do people have?

Well, I have been blessed to be a part of a few writing groups and for myself, this has always been a cathartic way of healing. Whether it is in journaling or in just writing until I felt that I have something to say I want to share with others. It has a way of letting our brain release what we need to share and get out of our headspace. Sometimes when I have been at therapy myself, I feel like that opens things up for me to feel what I need to, but sadly my brain does not understand the constraints of time and wants to continue on.

I also have witnessed that so many of the writers I know are coming from a place that allows them the ability to do the same thing. Most of us write what we know. Or we built up stories that hint at a struggle or a conflict that needs to be resolved. And I’ve noticed that I tend to listen to their voice come through in their work. There is so much of us in every character that we write or there is so much of us in every fact we write because part of us goes with what we put on paper for what we put into the computer.

I’ve written from the time I was a teenager to the current time. I’ve raised three children, worked a few jobs, been married a couple of times, went to school, and have a plethora of things going on in my life. The reason I share those little details with you is to make my point. I still find time every day to sit down and journal. Part of the reason that I do this is because for me writing is therapeutic.

By no means do I feel that people should not seek professional help? I am actually a very big supporter of the mental health community. But people have so much to say. And it isn’t always sunshine and roses. They are so many struggles both physical, mental, and emotional that people go through in their daily lives.

But what I want for people is to let them know that sometimes writing it down does help to release it from their minds for even a small period of time. Don’t believe me? Think about songs and the music you know that you like. Why do you think you make a connection to it?

Because the songwriter connected to you with their words. And it helped you realize you are not alone. And that is the ultimate goal.