How to deal with the pain of parting with a pen and paper

What to do

Psychologists from the University of Arizona experimentally proved Narrative Journaling May Help Heart's Health Post-Divorce. that the practice of expressive writing helps to cope with negative emotions after parting. To cope with stress, you need to transfer your experiences to paper on a regular basis. Your best bet is not just to write about your feelings, but to write a consistent story - a kind of story of your relationship with your ex.

How best to record history

Write on a regular basis. It is best to do this in the same setting to make writing a habit. Allocate for this 10-20 minutes before bedtime or immediately after waking up.

Remember that the main thing in this practice is not the artistic merit of the resulting story, but your emotional state. Write down everything that comes to mind, and do not think about the accuracy of the wording. If you feel uncomfortable, these notes may not even be re-read later, or even thrown away immediately after you finish writing.

How it works

When you compose a story, you not only re-experience and rethink the emotions associated with the breakup, but you also understand the structure of the ended relationship, isolate cause-and-effect relationships. Thus, you begin to better understand your own experiences.

In addition, transferring feelings to paper allows you to get rid of obsessive thoughts. Not only are you expressing emotions, but psychologically, you move further as the story unfolds and learn from previous relationships.

Researchers at the University of Texas previously noted. that those who devote at least 15 minutes a day to writing stories of negative experiences are less likely to be anxious and need less medical help.