Sometimes I just have to put it in writing. When I’m faced with an important decision to make, when I am experiencing an overwhelming emotion or when I’m picturing my life differently, I take pen in hand.

Getting it down in black and white

Perhaps writing it down makes it more real. Perhaps it’s a way of “trying things out” before I make up my mind. It might even be part of the decision-making process. I’m not sure exactly—but I know that writing help me quite a bit.

It helps me think clearly. I have to choose the words as I write them down. Am I feeling “abandoned,” or just “sad?” Do I want to do something about it or just be heard? What word describes the situation: “hopeless,” or “complicated.”

It helps me size up all the possibilities. Is that my only choice? Really? Or is there almost an endless list of things that I might do or say? Which is the best alternative for everyone concerned? What are the plusses and minuses with each option?

It helps me validate the truth. Is what I believe right now the truth? Am I sure? Is this belief helpful or harmful? Can I choose to believe something different? Am I freer with or without this belief?

It even helps me move on. Sometimes just writing it down has the powerful effect of softening and distancing. It’s as though writing about pain helps me work through it. As I put down thoughts of discord or disappointment, they don’t seem as big as I thought they were. As I write about my emotions I seem them already starting to shift—I show how temporary they are. I see that things that happened don’t define me any more than the words on the paper.

Best of all, writing helps me to make changes. I can prototype them on paper. I can try out new ideas, new thoughts and new descriptions of my life. I can write out affirmations of how I want to think, feel and live. I can live, in advance, the way I want to live through the power of my mind and the power of my pen on paper.

If you haven’t, try writing for a change.

It may start a new chapter in the book of your life.