Haley Cano

October 1, 2020
ENGL 1301-49L
Ms. Tamayo

TOW Paper

Every college student feels one similar thing every day and that is stress. Now stress can

lead to anxiety, depression, and many other mental troubles because it’s tough trying to manage

your own life and being a student at the same time. We have to juggle assignments, studying,

personal care, and our personal lives all at the same time while being a student in college. My

question is how can writing help students who battle with mental issues? My answer is simple

and that is writing is the “safe haven” for the mind. Students need to be in a relaxed state of mind

in order to have school as their number one priority and writing can help these students do just

that.

Writing is used for many things such as research, letters, even emails but not a lot of

people use it for their own self. I think everyone, especially students, should use writing to help

them with their troubles. There’s a TedTalk video I found that a woman named Sue Reynolds

talks about how writing is a therapeutic way of letting go of your troubles and to just simply

breath (10:24-10:45). Writing is a steppingstone to making you feel better and helping you cope

with your troubles. It is a non-judgmental place for yourself when you don’t know how to tell

someone or don’t want to tell anyone at all. Sue quotes, “I want to encourage you to write it

down, to get it out, to let it go” (17:52-17:57). Writing is a wonderful tool to use to help you

breathe and to help you see the outcomes of your life in a different perspective. It’s a helpful

resource when you aren’t feeling like communicating with others or you’re uncomfortable doing

just that.
Haley Cano
October 1, 2020
ENGL 1301-49L
Ms. Tamayo

When you start to feel sad, write. When you start to feel anxious, write. When you are

worried, write. In an article by Rosie Escott, she claims that several times, we just need to let all

our feelings out and what better way to help you is writing (“Write It Out”). I agree with her

because when you don’t write it down, eventually you night take it out on a loved one or some

stranger and cause chaos in that moment and in your mind. In another article, it states, “Clearing

your brain of negative thoughts can be really tough work, but writing can speed up the process of

restoring mental clarity” (Konya 1) and that is quite a statement. It’s not easy talking about your

problems to others or even just getting it out, which is why writing is the key. It’s private,

personal, and it’s a process that mends your mind without being judged or feeling alone. Writing

is a one on one with you and your thoughts, so it makes it more comfortable to express yourself

in this way. Write when your happy, sad, stressed, anxious, even mad and I promise it changes

your mindset and helps you feel better at the end of the day.

I have my own personal experience with writing for my mental health. I’ve been writing

since 1st grade due to past traumas as a child. I have journals stacked of my writing and I do not

regret it at all. It’s helped me heal and it helped me realize later that those troubles were just

temporary. I found this TedTalk about a girl who wrote poems to help her make sense of herself

and her mental issues. In the video she states, “Put your feelings down in the paper because if

you keep them inside for a very long time there will be a limit to how much our body can hold

in” (Coku 9:13-9:18) and that is very powerful. I believe our minds and hearts can only take so

much pain until we eventually break down. As a college student, that could be very worrisome

because we have priorities and careers to go through with. What would happen if my anxiety or

depression get the best of me? I start to fail and give up, but that is where you go and grab a pen
Haley Cano
October 1, 2020
ENGL 1301-49L
Ms. Tamayo

and paper and write your heart out. You can literally write about anything you please, but for the

sake of your health, write it down. It doesn’t have to be an essay; it could even just be one

sentence. Whatever makes you feel like it’s enough is enough.

I know you're getting kind of tired of me talking about writing and how important it is,

but I wouldn’t be badgering it if I didn’t think it would help others. I want all students to see how

writing can have a huge impact on your health because I care deeply about all students. My mom

always says that your mental health always comes first, and I truly believe that it is the most

important aspect of our lives. If we write to ourselves and create a relationship with ourselves to

make us better mentally, our minds will be at peace and we could look at the greater things in life

like school, family, friends, and life itself. We are all in the same boat and I’d like to see

everyone succeed. So, in saying that, don’t ignore that journal in your room that just sits there

collecting dust. Write it out, let go, and breath. You never know what a piece of paper and a pen

can do for your soul and mind.

Works Cited

Coku, Jueda.” How Writing Helps Improve Our Mental Health | Jueda Coku
| TEDxAlbanianCollegeDurres.” YouTube, uploaded by TEDx Talks, 9
September 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrqGfyLSfWQ.
Accessed 22 September 2020.
Haley Cano
October 1, 2020
ENGL 1301-49L
Ms. Tamayo

Escott, Rosie. “Write it Out.” The Warrior, 10 October 2019, https://blog.mevpmdd.com/write-

it-out/. Accessed 28 September 2020.

Konya, Kelly. “How Writing Can Help Support Your Mental Health.” Grammarly blog, 1 May
2020, https://www.grammarly.com/blog/writing-mental-health/. Accessed 30 September
2020.

Reynolds, Sue. “Writing Our Way Out of Trouble: Sue Reynolds at TEDxStouffville” YouTube,
uploaded by Ted Talk, 17 July 2013, Writing Our Way Out of Trouble: Sue Reynolds at
TEDxStouffville. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvb2QV0xMUs&t=607s.
Accessed 22 September 2020.