09/02/2026
There’s a reason writing has always felt like medicine to me.
I never feel it needs to be perfect.
I rarely make it make sense.
The intention is to get it out of my body. Alchemy in motion.
When you write about something, you’re not reliving it, you’re externalising it.
You’re taking it out of your head and placing it somewhere safer.
That simple act creates space.
It reduces the cognitive load of holding everything together internally.
From a nervous system perspective, this matters.
When I learnt that writing about your emotions has been shown to calm the amygdala, the brain’s threat detector, while increasing activity in the prefrontal cortex, the part of you that plans, reflects, and chooses, I was all in.
In other words, you move from automatic emotional reaction into conscious response.
It was a full body yes from me.
The shifts you can experience are POWERFUL.
Scientifically, writing activates multiple brain regions at once.
Memory, language, decision-making, which help convert overwhelming experiences into something you can understand, reframe, and integrate.
Even naming your emotions (yes, even with swearing) has measurable effects on regulation and clarity.
This is why I so often suggest pen to paper to clients.
I never suppress emotion, but when I fell in love with writing, it was another way to alchemise my experiences, simply by meeting them with awareness.
Handwriting slows the mind. It requires more coordination than typing, which naturally gives your nervous system time to process meaning rather than spiral.
You don’t need pages. Brief notes. A list.
A sentence. A letter you’ll never send. ALL of it counts.
Letters you never send are especially potent. They allow you to speak honestly, without managing someone else’s reaction, and give your emotions somewhere to land safely.
Writing works best when you treat it as a process, not a performance. Drafting. Pausing. Returning. Seeing something with new eyes later. This builds perspective, self-trust, and confidence over time.
Your journal entries. The emails you draft but don’t send. The lists you make when everything feels loud.
They’re not “just words”. They’re evidence of your brain adapting.
Of regulation happening in real time. Of resilience in motion.
And if overthinking keeps you stuck in your head, writing can help you break the cycle.
I have uploaded many personal journal entries on my website if you wish to explore.
You can also book a learn to Journal session with me.
And of course, there will be many a workshop this year, if you are seeking to develop this personal development skill into your own life.
Aside from Meditation, it is my absolute favourite way to embody emotional alchemy.
Join me, won’t you? 💜
