On my travels last week, I came across a podcast by Michael Mosley on a technique called “expressive writing”: a simple practice which can have surprising health benefits. The idea is to set aside 15 minutes daily to write about any worries that keep you up at night.
When things are tough, you might think that focusing on the bad and writing about it might make things worse, but it seems that the opposite can be true. The technique is showing many advantages, from enhancing lung function in people with asthma to improving scores on exams and cognitive tests.
Professor James Pennebaker from the University of Texas originally researched this back in the 1980s, and made the connection between expressive writing, reduced doctor’s visits, a better functioning immune system and an improvement to the body’s healing ability.
In another study, researchers recruited students who had tested positive for the virus that causes glandular fever, which persists in the body after infection and has the potential to flare up. Three times weekly for 20 minutes, some wrote about a stressful event – like a break-up or a death – while others wrote about their possessions.
Based on blood sampling before and after, writing about stress increased the students’ antibodies: evidence that the immune system had more control over the latent virus in the body. It also helped them to gain a better insight into their stress.
What’s so attractive about expressive writing? For starters, it’s completely free and can fit into anyone’s daily routine. All you need to do is set aside 15 minutes to sit down and write, three or four days a week. The only rule is to write continuously, without worrying about grammar or spelling.
I first encountered something similar via my work in addictions treatment, back in the early 2000s. Someone I worked with recommended the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. As did someone else. And another colleague. I was curious and going through an unsettled period, grasping at any psychological straws I could find.
The Artist’s Way
Published over 30 years ago, Cameron’s agent at the time warned her that no one was going to be interested in any book about creativity. But, instead of ditching her rejected manuscript, Cameron harnessed her self-belief, photocopied it and started selling it herself. She also got a new agent, signing a publishing deal in 1992.
The Artist’s Way had an initial print run of 9,000 copies, and since then has gone on to sell more than four million copies worldwide. It was Cameron’s own journey to sobriety that shaped The Artist’s Way. Inspired by the Alcoholics Anonymous model, the book offers a programme for artistic recovery, with the aim of teaching people how to unlock their creativity.
Cameron encourages the practice of writing “morning pages” every day. The idea is that you get the words down on paper to help you overcome your inner critical voice and develop new ways of thinking, writing at least three pages of longhand, stream-of-consciousness prose before doing any other work.
An Artist Date is a solo, once-weekly adventure to do something fun. https://t.co/ahy5mdNcS7 pic.twitter.com/26DNYrAoWV
— Julia Cameron (@J_CameronLive) March 27, 2023
I tried Cameron’s method myself, when I was having a spiritual awakening/small breakdown in the mid-2000s. The programme is immersed in the language of spirituality. I’m not religious, but as with AA, you can replace the notion of God with whatever non-denominational higher being works for you.
My commitment to the morning writing was lacklustre, but I loved keeping a diary and – fortified by a referral to an excellent CBT therapist – I kept a daily journal for six months. I particularly liked Cameron’s suggestion of weekly “artist’s dates”: time set aside to nurture your own creativity and find your equilibrium by engaging with art, perhaps by visiting a gallery, going for a walk or reading a book. I’ve committed to that ever since.
The written page is my church
Unsurprisingly, The Artist’s Way received renewed interest during 2020’s Covid lockdown, with sales of the book doubling in the UK during the first half of that year. People were trapped inside, often claustrophobic, sometimes feeling that life was unmanageable.
I didn’t return to any structured programme during lockdown, but it was during this period that I wrote my first book, a memoir, at the kitchen table, having invested in noise-cancelling headphones.
As a teenager, keeping a diary helped me process my many ups and downs
I realised when my book was finished and about to be published that writing had been a salve for me for more than four decades. When I was wee, it offered escapism from a walking-on-eggshells household. As a teenager, keeping a diary helped me process my many ups and downs. When I was in my 40s, and discovered that my ex-fiance was a spy, the only logical thing was to write the story of my no-longer-real relationship down.
As the late great Maxi Jazz sang, music was his church, it was where he healed his hurt. I’ve come to realise that the written page is mine.
Donna McLean is originally from Ayrshire and is a mum of twins, writer and activist
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