How Writing Has Helped Me Get Through Depression And Find Purpose

I have been hearing the idea of purpose for as long as I can remember. Oprah Winfrey is a perfect example of someone who is a strong believer of living your life based on purpose and I don’t think there is any doubt about that.

I have wanted to write about purpose before but I feel like God wasn’t ready for me to put pen to paper on that subject yet until I was absolutely sure I knew what I was saying and could say it with conviction. That being said, my name is Bria Barrows, and I am a writer and I am 100% sure that writing is a part of my purpose.

When I write, it is the most freeing shit I can do for myself. Literally. I have no one asking me why I feel the way that I do. I don’t have people judging me, I just write my thoughts out on paper and I publish what I have to say. It’s like a public diary for me, a talent that I not only use for myself, but to help others as well.

But struggling with a depression has often made me forget my gift and I know this is the case with many others.

You get so enveloped in your situation(s) that you forget the talent you are. A lot of the writers that I see writing the greatest work, often struggle with depression.

Most creatives, are in fact people who have struggled with depression. Writers such as JK Rowling, Sylvia Plath (author of the infamous Girl Interrupted, and the late and talented James Baldwin. These are all talented writers who have dealt with mental illness in their life but used their writing to get them through and create art that is relatable to others.

As someone who has read Girl Interrupted numerous times, I can attest that her work wouldn’t be as moving if she hadn’t had the real life experiences that she has had.

Many writers who struggle with depression can also attest that their writing is what it is that has gotten them through hard times in their life.

Canadian author, professional writer, millennial mentor, celebrity ghostwriter, and motivational speaker, Pauleanna Reid has spoken about depression and her official diagnosis in 2010 and speaks on how she used writing as a child to help her cope with hard emotions, stemming from a result of childhood bullying.

Her biography states, “With writing, she had the power to create stories and characters with imagination that would sometimes distract her from her sometimes harsh reality. It was through her storytelling where she learned to express herself.

That being said, I want to encourage all writers to continue to write and use the gift of being a writer as motivation for living and living a life that is purposeful.

Maybe you haven’t tapped into your gift yet for fear that you aren’t good enough, but take from someone who struggles with depression and has a history of not feeling good enough as a writer, but has been published numerous times. You are good enough.

A lot of the times depression can come with very dark thoughts and to keep it real, some people get to the point where they don’t even want to be here because they feel like their life has no meaning. 

But you being a writer is a purpose and it is an amazing one. It is probably better than any therapy you have ever gotten because you are healing yourself when you write with your own words and when you see your own story on paper unfold. No filter, no bullshit, just your truth.

Yes, depression may be a part of you, but you being a writer is bigger than depression. Use this to propel you to greater heights in your life. Use this to thrive. You are a writer and that is your purpose.