It’s no secret that writing can be a useful tool for processing and coping with complicated emotions. Journaling can help people work through and express their feelings, find active ways to practice gratitude and mindfulness, and help people keep track of the events and triggers that may exacerbate mental health issues. Many people also find it is easy to release anger and aggression when they write letters that they never plan to send to people who have upset them.
However, it’s also important to know that writing can be beneficial even when it’s not just releasing a free flow of emotions or directing words toward a certain individual. If someone is struggling with mental health issues, writing to their mental health condition or any other issue they are facing can be a helpful strategy for healing, especially for teenagers.
While it might sound strange to write to depression, anxiety, or an eating disorder, doing so offers a host of benefits for teens:
Identifying ways these conditions serve them
While it might seem weird to consider, there are ways in which your teen may feel like they have “benefitted” from the conditions they are experiencing.
For example, a teenager who is experiencing disordered eating may gain a sense of comfort or a sense of control due to their unhealthy eating habits.
While these benefits aren’t inherently wrong, it is harmful when your teen receives them through unhealthy behaviors.
This is one reason why it can be helpful for them to note how their behaviors have served them in the past or present. By acknowledging that their eating disorder may bring them comfort or their anxiety may bring them a sense of safety, your teen will be able to consider how they can still gain these positive feelings in a healthier way in the future. It’s not the food or the lack thereof that they actually care about but rather the associated feelings of comfort and control that they can find elsewhere.
Writing a letter to their depression or their eating disorder thanking these conditions for what they used to offer in the past and acknowledging that they can now gain these benefits elsewhere can be incredibly helpful for teenagers who are struggling with various issues.
Identifying ways these conditions no longer serve them
Similarly, it can help teens to explicitly note the ways in which they are no longer being served by various health issues.
For instance, if their anxiety causes them to miss out on fun experiences with their friends and avoid doing activities they would enjoy, they could include these disadvantages in their letter.
When your teen is able to spell out exactly how these mental health conditions are having a negative impact on their life, it will increase the likelihood that they will participate in their therapy sessions, practice healthy coping strategies, and actively take steps toward combatting these mental health issues.
Providing closure
Writing a letter with a definitive closing can help your teen make the decision to work toward overcoming unhealthy behaviors or mental health issues.
If your teen tries this activity, encourage them to include a strong closing line to their letter that will help remind them that they don’t have to let their circumstances or mental health issues take control of their life and well-being.
This will help them take steps toward healing and closing a major chapter in their life.
Reminding them of their progress
In addition to the benefits that come from the act of writing a letter, your teen will also gain benefits from reading that letter in the future.
Whenever they need a reminder of how their eating disorder or mental health issues are not serving them any longer, they can pull out their letter. If they forget that the “benefits” they gain from these conditions can be received through other means, they can look back at the letter they wrote. If they feel discouraged in their journey and don’t remember just how far they’ve come, this letter can remind them of their progress.
Encourage your teen to use letter writing and journaling as tools to help combat the struggles they are facing in life. While these tools might seem insignificant or inconsequential, they can make a tremendous difference when it comes to your teen’s healing process.