How letter writing shapes our life
At this time of the year we have just experienced two events which involve
sending cards. I just wondered if you wrote a letter and popped it inside the
Christmas or Valentine’s card.
You may have had a pen-pal during your school life and still keep in touch
after all these years or you now have family strewn around the world. Did the
letter contents tell them how much they are missed, loved or how your life
has been over the past twelve months.
We are told the High Street as we know it is in danger because we have
changed our shopping, banking and correspondence habits. Everything is
electronic, online these days and as we know shops, including the Post
Office, are closing down or relocating.
But we could reverse these changes that impact on our day to day lives.
Why?
There are reasons why writing is good for you it boosts your brain power as
you take notes with a pen rather than a laptop leads to better recollection, as
we tend to rephrase information for our own understanding as we go, rather
than simply typing out what we’ve heard, allowing more time for the
information to sink in.
The average person checks their phone 28 times a day, and more than
10,000 times a year. Going screen-free to pen a handwritten note provides a
much-needed break from 24/7 whirlwind of tech. While writing, you will
concentrate entirely on the task in front of you, focussing on the present
moment.
More labour-intensive than using a computer, writing forces us to slow down
and connect the mind with the hand, one word at a time. By doing this, we
enhance our creativity, have more time to think and to let our thoughts run
away with us, allowing new ideas to spark.
Writing a letter helps our psychological wellbeing and therapeutic letters are
used by counsellors for working through memories and emotions and help
us to come to terms with our innermost feelings.
Research has found that people who wrote down a list of things they are
grateful for before going to bed experienced a longer and better-quality
night’s rest.
From Prima Magazine (November 2018)
PS: Its good for you so please write a letter for next month’s magazine
on a topic of your own choice that you feel will be of interest to the
readers.
Morag
19