Transcriber: Juliana Galvez Reviewer: Anna Sobota
I want to have you take a moment
and think of a book you’ve read and enjoyed.
It doesn’t have to be your favorite.
It just has to be a book you liked.
Okay.
So whatever book you chose, it was written by a writer.
Now, when I first thought of writers,
I always used to think of 1800s people
wearing old-fashioned clothing
and scribbling something onto a piece of paper,
only to fold it up and throw it over their shoulder.
But in reality, anyone can be a writer.
You don't have to use big words or long sentences,
and the act of just writing down simple ideas can,
in my experience, be beneficial to your mental health.
During the Great Depression in the 1930s, people lost their jobs and homes,
like the name says, it was depressing.
So, people turned to books and movies set in the world unlike their own.
This was escapism.
Being in a different world helped them escape their own reality,
if only for a little while.
When you’re writing,
it’s easy to get lost in the world you’re creating.
Similarly, the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t do much good for anyone’s mental health.
Researchers estimated
that about one in three adults were suffering from anxiety or depression,
and nearly half of adolescents reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless.
Now here’s where I put a big disclaimer.
I am in no way expert on the topic of mental health
and my friends might know I’m a tiny bit biased about writing,
but based on research related to anxiety and depression,
I believe writing can ease those conditions.
So, before sixth grade, I was not a writer.
Sure, I wrote for school, but I didn’t ever write for fun.
And then COVID hit.
I was stuck at home for months without anything to do.
I couldn’t join extracurriculars, sports
or do anything with my friends besides Zoom calls.
My life was pretty boring at times.
And then, one day I had an idea.
I’m not sure what inspired it, but I knew I wanted to write about it.
And for the first time, I put pen to paper and wrote,
or the Google Docs - equivalent of that.
The point is, I started writing and I found I enjoyed it.
And suddenly writing occupied my thoughts.
I no longer had to sit alone in my room for hours with nothing to do.
I had my characters now.
I needed to tell their story.
I was in complete control of the world where I decided who lived and who died.
I found myself actually being happier.
I made friends through my virtual classes during Google Meet centered on writing.
I left sixth grade feeling like more of a writer.
And I felt a lot happier.
Well, my experience is just one story.
Studies have shown that writing at home can help those
who are struggling with mental health.
In one study conducted by West Virginia University,
it was found that creative writing could help with anxiety and depression.
Another study, this one by the American Psychological Association,
found that writing about uplifting things
could help someone focus on positivity rather than a negative experience.
A study conducted by James Pennebaker of the University of Texas at Austin
involved giving adults 20 minutes to write for four consecutive days.
Participants reported feeling happier and less negative afterwards.
One study, which involved giving patient with chronic illnesses
writing assignments about stressful events,
even found that writing could improve physical health.
So back to me -
it’s been over a year since I first started really writing.
Where has it taken me?
I have done a lot of writing since sixth grade.
I've created so many different worlds.
A society with hunter-gatherers supporting the population.
A utopia where people can change their appearance at will.
A caste-based country where 1700s French fashion is the norm.
A dystopian world riddled with climate change
and so much more.
These stories aren't anything I'm hoping to get published.
In fact, I barely let other people read them.
For me, writing is mostly for my own enjoyment.
In a world of assignments and sports and deadlines,
writing is one spot in my life
where I don’t have to worry about what others think.
I’ve started to turn to writing
when something is starting to overwhelm me and it works.
Writing really can help someone slowly break away from negative experiences,
depression, and anxiety.
Even if you don’t think you’re a good writer
or if you haven’t written much of anything before.
For me, both writing stories with friends and writing alone
has been such a positive experience.
I also learned quite a bit about myself and the world around me through it.
My view has changed entirely.
I no longer think of writers as those 1800s people with their pens and papers.
A writer can be a best-selling author,
an adult who journals daily.
a teen with a passion for poetry
or anyone else in the world.
You could be a writer and I hope that you give it a try.
So what are you waiting for?
Write!
(Applause)