The Effects of Writing: A personal Perspective

This is a non-scientific viewpoint, and I’m not an expert on this subject. However, I’d like to share my personal experience. I’ve always hated writing. It was the only subject in school that ever gave me trouble, and it was the only state-mandated test I ever failed. Besides the grammar aspect, I felt like grading a story was too subjective. How could someone say my story or experience was wrong?

The point is, I hated writing. I thought it was always a waste of time. I believed that when I joined the Military, I wouldn’t need that skill anymore. But I was so wrong. The Military requires writing, and it has its own specific style that I had to learn.

Writing awards, developmental counseling, professional emails, operational orders—the list goes on. I joined a combat job thinking I’d leave academia behind, but I was surrounded by an even higher-stakes grading standard. It took me a while, but I eventually adapted. I still didn’t enjoy writing, but it became a necessary evil that I had to accept.

I didn’t find any solace in writing until I was challenged to write my life story as part of a therapeutic program. Even that was a challenging subject to write about, but reflecting and putting words to feelings or experiences gave me a sense of clarity about certain situations I had just dealt with or didn’t want to express.

Writing became a form of therapy for me. It was something tangible that had importance to me. I continued writing on various subjects, pausing and reflecting for a few days before reaching a conclusion. Sharing these stories was another form of therapy—letting that raw part of yourself be exposed. As a pretty guarded person, that feeling of letting down my defenses gave me a sense of freedom and relaxation.

In conclusion, I believe this goes beyond writing. It’s about giving yourself time to reflect on issues you may struggle with and allowing yourself to be vulnerable to explore those issues. It’s not easy, and I’m not perfect, but it’s a hell of a lot better than holding your guard up.