I’m intrigued by the idea of a “gripe journal” (our inspiration/suggestion for day two of this challenge), but I want to ruminate more on the idea of it, rather than doing it.

My College Prep English course starts out with readings about writing, and one of the pieces we’ve enjoyed is a blog post by the APA titled “Writing to Heal.” In it, the author analyzes a handful of clinical and academic studies specifically considering writing’s ability to improve our lives, mental health, and even physical selves. It seems especially useful to think about in terms of the “gripe journal”. Just grousing may not be enough to unlock the benefits:

There is emerging agreement, however, that the key to writing’s effectiveness is in the way people use it to interpret their experiences, right down to the words they choose. Venting emotions alone–whether through writing or talking–is not enough to relieve stress, and thereby improve health, Smyth emphasizes. To tap writing’s healing power, people must use it to better understand and learn from their emotions, he says.

Though the piece is from June of 2002, it still feels relevant today. We talk in class about reframing events, rather than simply reliving them; whether it’s a little trauma (setting off my car alarm by resting the baby’s carseat on my hip) or the big ones (losing a family member or being in a car accident), writing to draw meaning from the events in our lives is what helps us heal from them.