Introduction

Writing is a perfect way to occupy your mind, especially during these times. People are at home, quarantined because of the Coronavirus, and have nothing to do all day. A great way to pass time is to write. Writing has many benefits, the biggest ones being keeping your mind sharp and becoming more creative. This creativity can help you as a student or even in the real world depending on the circumstances.

Benefits of Writing

Similar to meditation, handwriting can help increase neural activity in certain areas of the brain. Neural activity is “rhythmic or repetitive patterns in the central nervous system” (Wikipedia.org). Writing by hand can increase many needed improvements for people. For example, memory, retention, comprehension, creativity, mental health, and even their IQ. Handwriting can even help people who suffer from ADD, ADHD, and dyslexia. By practicing the skill of writing, it can help people figure out complex ideas more efficiently. People who do not write as much should look at the bigger picture of handwriting and its clear motive of helping others achieve their goals.

Mental Health

One way to improve mental health is writing. Writing out stories, trauma, feelings, and even about your day can help a person get through their day. Students in 2021 have been having a hard time balancing school work, sports, extracurricular activities, and their social life because of how Covid-19 has changed society today. Over 29% of students have reported that their mental health has worsened since the beginning of the pandemic and feel it will only get worse when school resumes (news.gallup.com). Writing out trauma can help a person better process or understand what happened to them. Just the act of writing can help organize, control, and improve people’s emotions. This is why the most popular practice in therapy for someone with mental health issues is writing because it is a non-harmful way to express themselves.

Passing Time

Another good way to help pass time during this pandemic is to write. People develop different hobbies like painting, singing, exercise, binge-watching Netflix shows, etc. A hobby people should take up is writing. Writing can bring you joy because you are the one who creates the story. A person who wants to escape reality can write about their fantasy land and many people during these times would love to have one second in a world with no Covid-19. Not only is writing a fantastic way to pass time, but it is also a way to keep the mind sharp and creative when school is out. Handwriting stimulates a part of the brain called the RAS or Reticular Activating System. “RAS prioritizes what requires immediate focus and filters others out. Writing activates your RAS to process knowledge into your memory” (mikolmarmi.com). Handwriting has a much better effect on the brain than typing or texting. The more a person writes on paper, the more the brain works out resulting in the creative juices flowing. 

Conclusion

Handwriting is proven in various studies to help the brain stay sharp, have better memory, and keeps the mind and body stress-free. Just the act of putting the pen on paper and writing a story, emotions, or life experiences can help the body and mind in many ways. During these hard times, it is a struggle to express yourself or find a way to keep yourself busy. Writing is not a permanent solution to everything bad or to improve in an area that a person is struggling in personally, but it is a significant solution that should be recommended to try for all students or citizens.