When we sit down to write, we psychically enter a sanctuary. This safe haven is our own personal space where we can say whatever is on our mind, where we can talk about what matters most to us, where we can imagine the kind of world that we would like to live.

Going to this safe haven – that is, undertaking the very act of writing – brings serenity.

Writing allows you to sweep out of your mind the clutter of daily worries and troubles. All that matters are the words on the page before you, the universe that your sentences and paragraphs have created. For a brief time at least, anxieties about paying bills, an ill loved one, and the politics of our workplace vanish, and you enjoy calm.

When writing, your creativity is like the soft glow of an inner candle, lighting the page with scenes and chapters. These tales and descriptions bring a peaceful order to the real world.

Writing heals you. Like a soothing salve or a scented candle, your sentences bring tranquility as you explore yourself and the emotional and metaphysical concerns that vex you, all in the safety of a story or a journal.

You leave each writing session physically relaxed and mentally untroubled. Writing has strengthened you.