Remember how exciting it was to get birthday invitations in the mail? My friends always make fun of me, but I really do love mail. What is more divine then finding a carefully penned letter in your mailbox after a long day of classes? It’s a concrete reminder that someone is thinking of you, and put these words on paper and sent them through the air.
In this Facebook age, it’s too easy to jot off a wall post, message or even an email. While, yes, you are making an effort to contact someone, it’s minimal and a little too convenient (See The Inconvenient Truth About Convenience—it isn’t always good!). Snail mail may sound outdated, but it’s worth the effort. Even if you have terrible handwriting, it is almost guaranteed that the recipient will appreciate the fact that you sat down to write a letter, and didn’t type something up quickly in an attempt to procrastinate from the paper you really should be writing.
In Sex and the City Movie, Carrie reads Love Letters of Great Men, and how romantic they are! It’s a real tragedy to me that the love letter no longer exists. Now we’re excited to get a text message that reads, “Hey, what’s up,” which is really very sad. If you’re truly ambitious in your letter writing (and I am), you could write something romantic to your significant other. Romantic doesn’t have to mean cheesy; a few sincere lines about why you love them, or even a thank you for a recent date will suffice. You can’t expect a response worthy of publishing, but any response in which someone has taken a pen to paper excites me.
Even if you don’t have anything much to say, but are thinking of a friend or family member, peruse the greeting card section. There are loads that are blank, or just have an adorable picture that will remind of you just the perfect person to send it to. Wylers on Maine Street has a stellar collection; I had to exercise extreme will-power not to purchase twenty cards (since my collection is already abundant.) You aren’t going to have the delight of being on the receiving end without some initial effort, so break out your stationary or find a cute card, and just write. You’ll be surprised how nice it is to open your mailbox to something intended for you—not a catalog, magazine or bank statement.
If letters aren’t your forte, writing is still enjoyable and a can serve as a great emotional release– I would urge everyone to keep a journal. I know you probably had a diary when you were 10 years old, and remember looking back and laughing at everything you wrote? It’s fun, right? More than entertaining, it can be beneficial to your mental health.
Even if you don’t write everyday (I tend to write for a few days then forget for a month), it’s great to be able to look back and see what you were thinking. Especially if you’re stressed, and most if not all of us are, it can be a huge relief to put your thoughts onto paper. It can help you work through your emotions, or at least get things out of your system that have been building up.
In the 1960’s psychologist Ira Progoff started to explore the benefits of keeping a journal in “enhancing growth and learning” (Hiemstra). Regular writing, he stated, helps “draw each person’s life toward wholeness at it’s own tempo” (Hiemstra). This is an appealing claim—wholeness sounds pretty good when I usually feel like I’m all over the place. More specifically, writing encourages personal growth and development, intuition and self-expression, problem solving, stress reduction and critical thinking, reflection and overcoming writing blocks (Hiemstra).
It’s the perfect way to unwind from a busy day with plenty of intrinsic benefits. In a few years, or even months, you’ll be happy to be able to look back on frustration and see how you worked through it, or maybe at an entry for a great day that you’ll have recorded (and no, not in cyberspace).
Whether it’s for your own, or someone else’s eyes, write! You could get a great response, and even if you don’t (my letter to response ratio is low, but it doesn’t discourage me), someone, yourself included, will be able to see that you made an effort to record a sentiment or just a random thought. Our fingers spend a good portion of the day on a keyboard, so give them a break and pick up a pen. Take a second to put a few words into writing for pleasure. A lucky recipient or your over-worked, completely stressed brain will be glad you did.
Hiemstra, Roger. Uses and Benefits of Journal Writing (2002). Web. 22 Oct. 2011. <http://www.healthforthewholeself.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/iStock_0…
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