That feeling when you read something that you immediately click with is like no other. Knowing there is another human being out there sharing a similar thought or going through a similar experience in life can make you feel seen and understood.
But what if no one had the courage to write about their personal experiences? What if writers stayed within the lines, continually followed a “professional” framework, and let the stigma surrounding certain subjects override their willingness to open up and write about them? I for one have not, and will not, let this happen with my writing.
I was given the opportunity to write a five-part blog series about an extremely stigmatized topic: mental illness. It affects so many individuals yet clings to several negative stereotypes. According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, by the time Canadians reach 40-years-old, 1 in 2 have, or have had, a mental illness. This statistic doesn’t come to a shock to me because I know how common disorders such as anxiety and depression are, but it can be shocking to know that the majority of people in your life will experience or have experienced a mental illness. What’s questionable is if this is the current climate, why is there still shame associated with opening up about it to others?
In my blog series, I knew I wanted each article to focus on what anxiety looks like in my life or else it wouldn’t feel as authentic as I wanted it to be. However, as writers, we know how daunting it can be to not only write about our personal lives, but to share that writing with strangers can be absolutely terrifying. It’s like having a locked diary and giving everyone the key. Of course, I wasn’t obligated to write this series, but I wanted to be able to do my part in breaking the stigma surrounding mental illness while also breaking through the barriers that so many writers feel as though they have to fall within, in order to write successfully.
Bringing emotion into writing is often not as accepted or seen as professional compared to writing that simply states the facts. With topics that are often stigmatized, it is easy to want to be as general as possible in order to not feel the consequences that are associated with opening up about sensitive subjects, such as feelings of being uncomfortable or judged. Although, I have to wonder who that benefits in the long-run? How will stigma surrounding certain topics lessen, if expression is limited due to fear?
I often asked myself while writing the blog series if I am actually doing anything beneficial or if I’m sharing personal details about myself for nothing. It was in my moments of doubt that I remembered how many times I read stories about one’s life that I never thought anyone would want on the Internet and the feeling of comfort I received knowing their work was hitting deep with readers.
In school, essays are often our first introduction to professional writing. We are taught to write in detail, in the third person, and support our ideas with research. That writing framework is carried with us throughout our education and into our writing career. Consequently, it’s easy to fall back on this style of writing when we are assigned a writing task. I’m in no way diminishing how effective formal writing can be, but contributing to the conversation on topics that are not often openly discussed can be vital to those reading and looking for something to confide in. Bringing personal opinions and experiences into your work can also be beneficial to your breadth of writing and allow you to unlock new storytelling skills you may have never known you had. It takes practice, but learning how to open yourself up and losing the rigid barrier we often find comfort behind, is extremely important when it comes to representation within media.
I’m not saying you now have to go write an article about all your traumas (although, I do recommend writing as a coping mechanism), but I do encourage writers to break free from the restraints that only you put on yourself. Allow your personal life to seep into the professional. It was when I did exactly that, I discovered how powerful my writing can be.