You Can Write Your Way Out of an Emotional Funk. Here’s How.

James Pennebaker, a distinguished professor at the University of Texas, got married right

out of college in the early ‘70s. Three years after his marriage, he and his wife started to question their relationship, and Pennebaker, confused and unsettled, sank into a depression. He ate less, drank more, and started smoking. Embarrassed by what he saw as emotional weakness, he became more and more isolated.

One morning about a month into this decline, Pennebaker climbed out of bed and sat down at a typewriter. He stared at the machine for a moment, then started writing freely and frankly about his marriage, his parents, his sexuality, his career, and even death.

As he wrote, and continued to write in the days that followed, something fascinating happened. His depression lifted and he felt liberated. He began to reconnect with his deep love for his wife. But the writing had an even farther-reaching impact. For the first time, he started to see the purpose and possibilities in his life.....

http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/09/journaling-can-help-you-out-of-a-bad-mood.html?inf_contact_key=e0eb0c1b06889a14b4c448c1759bfcd7b9f98d753216b2d78d209acee2a9f6f2