Tag Archive - Mental Health

How Writers Can Benefit from a Sense of Purpose and Routine

Today’s guest post is by author Tori Eldridge.

It’s a scary time in the world right now. We’ve been forced into a new way of living and are concerned about the well-being of our family, friends, and communities. Many of us have been confined in our homes for months and will be living this way for at least a few more weeks.

It’s important to adjust to this change in a way that makes us feel calm, safe, and sane—a tall order when faced with upsetting news reports and worsening statistics. Harder still, if serious family problems arise from being locked in or our financial stability crumbles.

This new reality is different for everyone.

We have our own adjustments to make and challenges to face. But we also have people we care about, close to our hearts and in the world at large. While we empathize with the suffering of others, it is vitally important that we also protect our own emotional well-being. This is easier said than done because once we open our hearts, emotions, of all kinds, flood in.

So, how do we keep ourselves emotionally sound and physically fit? Continue Reading…

How Writing Can Assist Sufferers of Mental Illness

Today’s guest post is by Cassandra Hawkings

 “Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.” —Virginia Woolf

 Like medicine and professional therapy, writing is the perfect choice for assisting sufferers of mental illness.

Do you have a relative or friend who has a mental illness? I have. My father has depression. A few years ago, he had a nervous breakdown. I remember waking up on a Sunday morning to my father crying and shouting.

In the months and years that followed, the situation was difficult to live with on a day-to-day basis. He would talk to no one except my sister, and it was painful.

When I was upset, I used to type out a few sentences in a Word document. It would help me feel stronger. It felt unbelievable to be able to get my frustrations off my chest. Even now, it is still difficult. However, I’ve managed to dive through it. Continue Reading…