Life not Health

There is no mystery as to why I have become a blog writer. Coping with chronic illness for many years eventually lead me to look for ways to take my mind off of pain I would feel in between doses of medicine. I enjoyed writing starting at a very young age, so for me writing is a very natural way to distract my self from things that are hard to deal with. For me, it is also therapeutic to write about what I have learned and experienced, in hopes that it will help others who deal with similar issues.

Writing is not merely a tool for distraction. For people with chronic illnesses, it is also an emotional outlet and a way of expressing inner pain or feelings that are otherwise hard to express. Because writing can be a creative tool, there is no wrong way to use it in terms of self-expression. For example, a therapeutic tactic some doctors use is to have the patient write down all of the feelings that come to mind when thinking about his/her particular illness. After doing so, the patient is instructed to destroy the paper in some manner. In this way, emotional pain and harmful stress can be released from the body and mind. Another example is letter writing. Whether the letter is sent or not, writing a letter to a friend or family member about a personal illness can be easier to express in writing than in person. Not only can this help the patient with emotional trauma, sometimes it can also facilitate healing in a relationship.  I also know several people who write letters to their illnesses, and swear by this tactic and it’s usefulness in relieving stress!

As my illness progressed, I found it increasingly difficult to keep up with full time work. Right now most of my financial means come from my fiancée, but working isn’t just a matter of finances. It is also the way most people measure their value in society. So when it became impossible for me to work, I searched for alternate ways to feel useful and to feel connected to society. To this end, writing can be used to earn income and to take a step back into regular life, which is often so disrupted when one is ill. It may seem odd, but even making a few dollars from writing really make me feel “normal”.

There are many types of writing. In addition to the above examples, here are a few that I hope can be used by you as part of your daily treatment program:
-Short fiction
-Autobiography
-Poetry/Haiku
-Songwriting
-Lists

Any form of writing can be therapeutic. Hopefully my examples can be used to brainstorm a few of your own as well.

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