Writing as Self-Revelation

Humans are in fact some of the most miraculous creatures, especially when looking into the human mind. Our personalities separate us from one another, making us each distinct, but in reality we all share the same vital need of wanting to be understood by others. We all share the same want to feel respected, welcomed by others, leading to the feeling of self-recognition and assurance. Why do we need other people to feel like we are understood? Humans also differ by being categorized as extroverts and introverts. Extroverts are those who are very expressive. They are the individuals who do not face any problems when it comes to communicating with people outside of their immediate circle. Introverts are the opposite, they have a hard time expressing their feelings and often keep to themselves, finding that they often need to recharge themselves some evenings, keeping away from others. I have found that I am a mixture of both. Some days, I can walk up to my best friend and tell him everything that I am feeling and everything that has been on my mind since 6:00 am that morning. Other days, I find myself laying in bed staring at the ceiling until the wee hours of the morning, wishing I could find some way to get my brain to turn off for just a couple hours. I have heard so many others facing this issue, looking for some sort of outlet besides the reliance on another person. Write. Write on the nearest scrap of paper on your nightstand, or the empty journal your mom got you for Christmas, but you have found no use for it...until now. Why do humans feel the need to vent to other people, to see therapists, to rely on other people to help find a piece of themselves that they haven't been able to find? I think, in reality, we are all capable of doing it ourselves. Write down your deepest thoughts, the secrets you have felt the need to hide because you fear the judgement of other people. Write down every negative thing that happened to you this week, or about the stranger who helped you pick up your things after dropping them on the way to class this morning. If you let the pen flow across the paper, not caring if the words sound jumbled or they read with ease, you may find new qualities of yourself that you hadn't known before. Self-reflection is a necessary process that I think everyone needs to endure. Everyone needs to not only feel accepted by others, but themselves. The next time we find ourselves sitting with thoughts jumbled in our brains, pick up a pen, pick up a notebook and let the thoughts unravel. You never know what you might end up finding from a little reflective writing every once in awhile.