Writing Builds Resilience in Everyday Challenges by Changing Your Brain
13 days ago
- #resilience
- #neuroscience
- #writing
- Writing changes the brain and helps manage emotions by creating distance from pain.
- Resilience is often portrayed as an individual trait that can be strengthened through effort.
- Expressive writing, developed by James Pennebaker, helps process trauma by externalizing emotional distress.
- Writing engages multiple brain areas, aiding memory consolidation and emotional regulation.
- Naming emotions through writing calms the amygdala and engages the prefrontal cortex.
- Writing fosters a sense of agency and helps reshape identity and psychological state.
- Handwriting, daily writing, and writing before reacting are effective practices for building resilience.
- Writing letters (even unsent ones) and treating writing as a process enhance self-awareness and clarity.