From Cluttered to Clarity: The Power of Writing for Mental Well-Being
At KNG Services, we often hear a similar line during interviews with our clients:
“Talking with you about these topics feels almost like therapy.”
Normally, we take that as a compliment and testament to our values. But during Mental Health Awareness month, it’s also a reminder: leaders, especially high-performing ones, might focus on the well-being of their company, maybe even their people, but not always their own.
Talking about overwhelming complex emotions can be a great release for those who can manage it. But there’s another valuable tool anyone can use at any moment on their own. We focus on it every day in our daily business: the power of writing. And not just for business or branding. Writing can improve mental well-being.
Why writing works
Writing ignites a psychological process. It bridges the gap between our internal thoughts and the external world by engaging multiple areas of the brain: language processing, memory, evaluation, and logic. It calms our nervous system and makes the intangible feel more manageable.
This is supported by decades of research, particularly psychologist James Pennebaker. He found expressive writing to be particularly helpful in processing trauma, reducing stress, and improving physical and emotional wellness. In an interview with the American Psychological Association, he said:
“Keeping a trauma of any kind secret…increased the toxicity of that trauma. In other words, secrets in and of themselves were toxic. This made me wonder: If secrets are so bad, what [happens if people]... talk about them or — [after that] turned out to be way too complex — how about we just had them write about it? That was kind of the birth of expressive writing.”
We at KNG Services first discovered Dr. Pennebaker’s work through the writing practice of Anna Runkle, also known as the Crappy Childhood Fairy. Runkle has drawn from vast research like Pennebaker’s and combined it with her own experience to grow a platform helping people navigate their unique trauma responses. Her approach promotes a specific writing style elaborated from a slightly different practice known to help people through alcohol recovery, a technique she teaches through a free course on her website. Pennebaker himself endorsed her 2024 book, Re-Regulated.
By writing out our thoughts and feelings, we shift them from a state of internal emotion into one of structured language. The simple act of organizing our thoughts invites the clarity and self-awareness needed to emotionally re-regulate. Writing turns mental clutter into meaning.
Writing as a leadership practice
Leaders often find themselves under immense pressure while navigating high cognitive and emotional loads: decision fatigue, stakeholder demands, and the challenge of managing people with empathy. Many live under a constant expectation to show strength.
Without tools to manage their complex emotions, leaders run the risk of ending up distracted. Mental distress can impact their ability to effectively identify priorities or include all valuable perspectives in their decisions. Through writing, they have a private space to reflect and determine a course with greater intention.
Writing is also a tool some of us here at KNG Services have learned to rely on whenever emotional dysregulation gets the better of us. Our experience: it really works.
Just begin
If writing can offer clarity and healing, it’s no wonder executives tell us they enjoy the process of developing content for their thought leadership. For anyone carrying burdensome thoughts, worries, emotions, experiences, or lessons, consider this article in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month as your sign to begin.
Pick up a pen. Open a blank doc. Don’t worry about having a finished message. Just start writing.
Start by writing privately for yourself. Eventually, the regular practice of organizing thoughts helps you uncover and emphasize the value in your stories more clearly. Polish up those thoughts on paper, and the same lessons and reflections that helped you can now help others navigate similar challenges.
Unsure where to begin? At KNG Services, we help transform our clients’ experiences into valuable messages through thought leadership. Browse our Services page to find out more about how we can help build your executive brand.
