Writing and Well-Being (Part 1)

I’m fascinated with the connections between self-expression and both physical and mental health. Several incidents in my life have made these relationships clear to me.

The first time I realized that holding back what I want to say/write can cause me physical distress was when a friend offered me a Reiki session. I’d never heard of Reiki at the time, but I’m always curious about and willing to experience different types of healing modalities.

I sat in silence while she did her work. After the session, she asked if I’d been having issues with my throat.

Uhm, yes.

In the months previous, I’d had severe bouts of heartburn and reflux, rising acid that produced sore throats and, sometimes, gave me a raspy voice. She suggested this could be because I was holding in something important that I wanted or needed to express.

The connection had never occurred to me but felt true.

Since then, I’ve paid attention. My reflux happens on-and-off—ebbs and flows, if you will (pun intended)—and I can see direct parallels with my self-expression.

When I’m holding back, not speaking my truth, being inauthentic, over-compromising, people-pleasing, or equivocating, the reflux increases.

When—through written or spoken word, and in my behavior—I’m fully expressing what’s important to me, what I need and want, what I believe in, what I value, it subsides.

I can look back and see other instances when my lack of expression caused other physical issues, too—severe bouts of IBS and other digestive issues. In retrospect, I see they were related to how true (or not) I was being to myself.

Prompt: Do you believe in the connection between physical wellness and self-expression? What examples of this do you have in your own life? How do you currently feel in your body? Is there something you’re “holding back” that could be contributing to physical distress?