Our culture revolves around the idea of self-sufficiency and independence. We don’t want our survival to be dependent on anyone besides ourselves. But I’m pretty sure our culture has it wrong. Community is important. It always has ben and it always will be. We’re born into families, we play on teams, and we’re assigned to work in groups. We’re designed and engineered to function not in isolation, but in relationship with other humans. Even us introverts.
After writing my most recent post on physical, emotional, and spiritual therapy, I realized that something was missing. I threw out a whole lot of information about the various forms of therapy and I neglected to talk about one of the best forms of therapy I have ever found: BLOGGING! I realize that some of you might not believe this fact, so I decided to make a list of the…
5 Reasons Blogging Counts As Therapy
- Blogging is a team sport. It is impossible to blog in a bubble. Blogging forces you to engage with the world and make new friends. It’s exciting!
- Blogging is synonymous with being vulnerable. When people think about therapy, they usually think of a hopeless case sitting on a sofa confessing their deepest darkest secrets. Well, while you might not share the depths of your soul with the world, you will be sharing a small piece of yourself with cyberspace while engaged with the blogging community. Even if you refuse to share a single personal detail, you are being vulnerable simply by putting your words out into the world. It’s brave.
- Blogging makes you process your thoughts. In order to compose a blog post, you have to organize your thoughts. Whether you do it before or during your writing process, you must slow your mind down long enough to process some piece of the world around you. It’s important.
- Blogging requires commitment & maintenance. If you want loyal readers, you have to post to your blog consistency. This requires a certain degree of commitment to yourself, your blog, and your fans. It forces you outside of yourself and outside of your “issues.” It also requires investment and passion. It’s hard work.
- Blogging is a form of self-expression. You get to design every aspect of your blog. The theme, name, color scheme, logo, topics, layout, and writing style are all little extensions of your personality. Your sense of humor permeates your writing. Creating a blog guides you in a journey of discovering who you are. The bonus is that other people get to become part of that journey and become awestruck by your creation. It’s beautiful.
Blogging is exciting, brave, important, hard, and beautiful. You get to discover new parts of yourself and share your gifts with the world. A blog is a collaborative effort that requires diligence and love. In my previous post I claimed that the goal of therapy is restoration. So how does blogging therapy contribute to this pursuit of restoration?
Blogging forces us back into community. To value relationships. To engage with other humans. My generation is easily condemned for its reliance on technology. I’ve had people say to me, “You guys don’t even know how to hold a real conversation.” My blog is my ammunition against such statements. I use technology to pursue engagement, not flee from it. To create relationships, not destroy them. Blogging is therapy because it restores relationships in what could easily become a disconnected world.
If you’re a blogger: Is blogging therapeutic for you? How so?
If you’re not a blogger: Do you see technology as a positive or negative component of relationships?
Linking up with That Friday Blog Hop, Let’s Be Friends Blog Hop, Wine’d Down Wednesday, & The Blogger’s Digest!
Karren Haller says
I like many of you find blogging very beneficial to my physic its my window to the world so to speak and have made many friends, not only writing but responding to comments and interaction with other bloggers on many topics.
Karren Haller recently posted…What Do You Know Ziplist Recipe Plugin
Brittany says
You’re so right! I’ve made many friends in my short period of blogging. If you’re not careful, leaving and responding to comments can become an addiction! Thanks for stopping by and commenting…wink wink :)
Jayleen says
Blogging is therapeutic! It’s an excellent way to explore and express your feelings that you may have otherwise stifled. It gives you a way to self reflect and learn. I have to admit, I haven’t thought of blogging in this way before I read this article. It was enlightening!
Brittany says
I’m glad you found a fresh perspective here and so happy you took the time to visit and read this post. I think you’re right; without blogging we’d stifle more feelings than we process. Thanks for visiting :)
kristie Hill says
YES! Blogging is therapeutic for me! Blogging gives my brain something to work on. It helps me learn and grow everyday!
kristie Hill recently posted…The first comment on my blog changed how I display my posts.
Brittany says
I like what you said about giving your brain something to work on. I think the minute we stop doing this is the moment life gets boring. Thanks for stopping by and commenting :)
Kristine says
Therapeutic – yes.
Demanding – yes.
Rewarding – yes.
I have only just started and am a bit obsessed, but hopefully I will return to ‘normal’ soon. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. They were spot on for me.
Kristine recently posted…Spiders, spiders everywhere!
Brittany says
You’re right: blogging is very demanding but also quite rewarding. So it’s good to stay slightly obsessed :) Thanks for stopping by and visiting!
Katie @ Pick Any Two says
All of these reasons are spot-on. I also find that writing a post forces me to examine my feelings, and therefore deal with it, in a way that I ordinarily wouldn’t have to. And like you say, the community aspect is key. We are, by nature, communal creatures. We are MEANT to connect. Blogging allows us to do that in a far-reaching way!
Thanks for linking up with the #SHINEbloghop!
Katie @ Pick Any Two recently posted…Feel Good Friday: The Opportunity of a Lifetime
Brittany says
Thanks for stopping by from #SHINEbloghop…it really is one of my favorites. Mostly because there’s such great variety and I’ve been able to connect with other people in a far-reaching way; just like you said! Blogging combines introspection with community quite well!
Cole says
These are all very true! I agree that blogging is therapeutic, and I love the community aspect of it.
Cole recently posted…Reasons Autumn is My Favourite Season
Brittany says
I’ve had blogs in the past, but never stuck with it. I’ve recently noticed that my lack of success was mostly due to the fact that I didn’t engage in the blogging community. It’s so much more rewarding when you are willing to visit and invest in others! Thanks for stopping by and commenting :)
Heather says
I could not agree with you more about this. Lately I’ve been in a blogging funk and I think its mostly because I haven’t been writing from the heart lately until I discovered a few of my friends on facebook doing this “30daysofReal” thing and I decided to start it on my blog. I don’t have anyone that’s joined in yet, but I’d love for you to stop by and check it out and if you feel like linking up a post to it, I’d love to read it! Great post! I do think blogging is very Theraputic! I am stopping by from the Social Media Mixer.
Heather recently posted…Day 5 of 30 Days of Real
Brittany says
That sounds awesome! I will definitely be heading over and checking it out once I’m home on my computer! Thanks for visiting :)
Elizabeth says
Brittany, love love love this!! I agree so much. Blogging is therapeutic. It has taken me way out of my comfort zone to extend to others, but it has made me a better person. I have to risk I have to reach. I have to extend. And, it helps me share and process what I really think and what I really love. I so agree with this post. Sharing. Thanking!
Elizabeth recently posted…5 Important Lessons Adults Can Learn from Pee-Wee Soccer
Brittany says
You’re so right; blogging makes you risk, reach, and extend. It pulls something out of you and kind of ignites a passionate fire inside. It really is a creative process that can bring healing and the best part is you frequently get to take other people with you along the journey. You end up helping each other out. Thanks for visiting and sharing! :)
Erlene says
I totally agree that blogging is therapeutic and actually makes me feel better when I’m feeling low. It’s nice to be able to see nice comments from readers or fellow bloggers that like what I’ve posted.
Erlene recently posted…Pinterest Tested September Week 3
Brittany says
Very true! It’s so encouraging to check your email and see that someone left a comment! Thanks for visiting my corner of cyberspace…and commenting :)
Jennifer says
This was really interesting to read. I never thought about blogging as therapeutic, but you’re right, it is! Just like editing (a million times) before I post something, I also need to “edit” what I say/do to make sure it comes out the right way. (Stopping by from SITS Girls Sharefest.)
Brittany says
Thanks for visiting from Sharefest! I love Saturday mornings :) I never thought of the editing process as therapeutic, but you are so right! Editing helps you process and refine things. It makes you an excellent communicator and it’s definitely something that I need to focus a little bit more energy on! Thanks for commenting!
Sheryl says
I certainly agree with you in regards to blogging being therapeutic. I originally started my blog as a way of sharing my grief journey and showing that someone who is an “expert” in the grief world, is no different than anyone else. There have been a few times when I have read my earlier posts and I can see how developing the post was therapy for me. As a life long journal write, I knew it would be therapeutic (blogging is public journal writing) but the benefit is the community you develop.
Brittany says
Thank you for sharing a snip of your blogging journey! I can definitely relate; I can usually see a shift in my own thinking from the beginning of a blog post to the end. Composing a post lets you process things and identify feelings and events. It’s the only way to communicate your message to others. Blogging forces you into therapy mode, even if you don’t want to go! Thanks for reading and commenting :)
Heather says
I love your ideas on blogging being therapeutic. I agree with you and honestly seeing the words written in your post are motivated too! I feel a sense of pride when I share something I really enjoy and hope others will benefit from also. Great post!
Heather recently posted…Halloween Cake Pops
Brittany says
Thanks for visiting my blog! I think it’s wonderful that you feel so connected to your post. I’ve always believed that a blog is an extension of a person’s personality. Blogs take a lot of work, so you wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t something that’s close to your heart. Glad you enjoyed the read :)
Kim @ HappyPrettyBlog says
Blogging is absolutely therapeutic for me! I tend to express myself better in writing than any other form of communication so my posts are often quite close to my heart.
Brittany says
Ii think that’s why I love bloggers so much! I believe that most bloggers tend to be more vulnerable than your average Joe. They’re willing to share a piece of themselves with strangers. It’s beautiful. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom says
I love your reasons behind why blogging is therapeutic.
I also find blogging very therapeutic. When something “big” happens to me, I tend to withdraw… many of my closest friends know this about me. However, my healing happens when I start writing about what’s happening/what I’m feeling. Plus, there’s the ability to possibly have someone relate to what I’m experiencing… as my “world” is broadened when I blog. Then there’s the community of prayer that also happens when I share what’s happening.
This is awesome. Thanks for sharing Brittany!
xoxo
Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom recently posted…SHINE Blog Hop #17
Brittany says
Thanks so much for expounding on the benefits of blogging! I’ve found therapeutic blogging to be a mutually beneficial process. It lets people know that they are not alone and it helps me realize that I’m not alone. By blogging about things that go on in our lives, we are able to see our similar experiences. We are all unique, but I think we forget how similar we are. By blogging about the more difficult pieces of life, we reach out a hand to someone else who might be suffering. We broaden our community and we help others while helping ourselves. It’s beautiful! Thanks for visiting and commenting :)