Why Writing Heals Me (and maybe you too)

There are times in life when the world feels too heavy. For me, writing has always been the place where I set that weight down. 

Whenever I feel the least bit lost in life, I have always picked up a pencil. Whether it was journaling, writing poems, doodling, or brainstorming on my manuscript, it all helped the problems of the world fade into the background. A lot of the poems that I have already posted on here were written during very stressful and traumatizing parts of my life. I once read that if you’ve been traumatized, you should immediately play Tetris to help your brain process it. For me, writing has always been my version of Tetris.

When I was first traumatized at work, I spoke up for myself and stated that I needed time away. Instead of being heard and supported, I was made to prove that I was traumatized. It was like I was shouting “help, I need help” into the void, and no one was listening. This past December I had a particularly bad episode, where I was so scared to go to work I couldn’t even leave my house. Instead of listening to me say I needed time off work to heal, the head of HR thought I wanted an extended vacation. 

I was so sick of always reaching out, speaking my truth, only to never be heard. That’s when I remembered Cassandra’s story. I remembered that she represented the struggle of knowing the truth, but never being trusted with it. I did so much research about her in January. I re-read Aeschylus’ Agamemnon. I even looked at artist depictions of Cassandra. I was like you know what we both need? To FINALLY be believed. 


So that’s when Raye was truly born, and everything else around my story started falling into place. I created a cast of characters, including meddling gods, woven into the elemental magic system I’d already created. And I had never felt better and more empowered, which is probably why I finally completed my manuscript after years and years of starting and stopping. 


Even if my book never gets published, I will have shared pieces of myself with you through my poems, blog-posts like this one, and other writing projects I have in mind down the road. Writing doesn’t just help process the pain—it creates meaning, hope, and connection. 


Writing doesn’t just process pain—it creates meaning, hope, and connection. It may not fix everything, but it has always helped me survive, heal, and grow. And if it’s done the same for you, through writing, art, or music, I’d love to hear your story. 

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