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Sunday 25 October 2015

Writing is Healthy

Hosta

Do you ever feel like these Hostas in my garden in Autumn? Lifeless, droopy no go? That is now a thing of the past. I was reading an article today from a link supplied by Facebook. If something is in Facebook, it must be true, although a month ago one of their leading news reports told us that we would have the end of the world on 21st September, but it could also be 22nd or 23rd etc. I was not very happy about this as my dad would be 100 years old on 24th September and that would have been a disappointment to us all, especially Queen Elizabeth II of England who was sending him a telegram on 24th September. Luckily it did not happen, although in the meanwhile I believe the engagement with world endings has been postponed until the next comet appears on the horizon.

In the meanwhile I had a consolation. Returning to Facebook and its prophesies and gems of truth, there was a connection to an article with the title  “Science Shows Something Surprising About People Who Love to Write” as if it was meant for me. I love to write and am always good for a surprise, so I read further. It seems I will profit from strong physical and health benefits. At last I can spring out of bed in the morning and  ignore the pains in my joints, I am cured. Just 15 to 20 minutes writing during three to five months does the trick, and do not forget I write at least an hour a day, when I am not taking photos to illustrate my work.

If I write about traumatic, stressful or emotional events the effect is re-inforced. My blood pressure will sink, although I was not so sure about that. I have an average of 115 to 120 something, and that is low enough. Even my physical wounds will heal quicker. Does this mean that if I have one of my unpredicted falls, where I break an arm, or perhaps even a leg, the bones will knit together again within a day or so. 

It seems that we writers go less to the doctor probably because we are so busy writing we do not have the time. We also sleep better due to writer’s exhaustion, like falling asleep at the computer perhaps. Blogging might, or could, trigger dopamine release. Here I was a little overstrained but it seems that low dopamine leads to lack of motivation, fatigue, addictive behavior, mood swings and memory loss. Now I know why I love doing housework, cooking and washing - I never feel tired and never lack energy. I am not addictive to anything, except perhaps to writing, but writing is healthy and I am convinced that my moods are always well balanced, I am the personification of satisfaction. And I would add, like an elephant, I rarely forget anything.

“What did you say Mr. Swiss? I should make a shopping list for tomorrow in case I might forget something again. Yes, of course, it will make the shopping trip much more enjoyable, my dopamine levels will reach a new high point.”

Now we know why we blog. It is healthier and we might even live longer, although that was not in the article.


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