After months inside, many of us are peering out of our doors, creeping out in our cars, taking our first steps back into the world. But as we prepare to leave our caves, our over-decorated rooms and makeshift offices, we might not want to totally abandon lockdown life.

It has given us something. For some of us, it has given us a chance to spend all day with our families, perhaps shut in our respective rooms, but under the same roof. Time to start growing vegetables. Time away from work to consider whether we might be happier doing something else.

For some of us, it has simply given us something different. A change. Even if that change involved caring for elderly relatives for the first time or trying to teach someone else’s children while your own made a pillow fort.

Here are a few good reasons why writing could help you to celebrate, mourn, or simply observe these changes, before life shifts again.

1. Record your feelings

It’s a childlike state, being out of control, and many of us have been getting waves of nostalgia while stuck at home with our families, hoping for the day when we can go out by ourselves and buy things and see our friends. This childlike feeling can be scary but it can also bring back our most core sense of self. Taking a moment every week to record these strange sensations will help you sort out which changes you’d actually like to keep going. Maybe you’ve realised that messing about in the garden, digging your fingers in the soil, is crucial to your wellbeing and you’d like to save time for it in the future.

2. Draft your responses to others

It may seem strange to want to craft what we say to people. Surely it’s better to shoot from the hip and be honest. But many of us avoid having conversations because we’re searching for the perfect words, or because we’re scared of offending or causing an uncomfortable atmosphere. This fear of confrontation is especially present now, when we’re pushed together for most of the day. Writing down how you’re feeling can enable you to say those words to the people around you.

3. Picture possible futures

Imagining, daydreaming and plotting can help us get excited about the future and forget about present worries for a few minutes. That’s why the creative writer’s skill set is so tied to wellbeing. Spend some time in your week imagining another world, investigating a character that’s not you, change the very laws of nature if you like. It may bring a much-needed dose of fresh perspective to your day.

Could joining a group of writers be just what you need right now?

Writing for Wellbeing gives you a chance to return to a more reflective pace once a week, with a group of likeminded people, in a safe space. We’ll read stories, share pieces of writing, play games, experiment, and build a routine of writing that helps us make sense of this strange time. We are now taking enrollments for a new session starting August 1st. Come and join us!

Georgina Parfitt