| 1. | Writing helps integrate and organize our complicated lives in a variety of ways. |
| 2. | Writing clears the mind. |
| 3. | Writing helps resolve traumas that stand in the way of important tasks. |
| 4. | Writing helps in acquiring and remembering new information. |
| 5. | Writing fosters problem solving. it forces people to sustain their attention on a given topic for a longer period of time. |
| 6. | Writing lowers the blood pressure and heart rate, and benefits the immune system. |
| 7. | Writing improves lung function in asthmatics. |
| 8. | Writing improves joint mobility in rheumatoid arthritis. |
| 9. | Writing a note to someone, you have had a confrontation, with helps to mend the relationship. |
| 10. | Writing relieves anxiety. |
(Adapted from Opening Up by James W. Pennebaker, and The Write Way to Wellness by Kathleen Adams) Also, see the April 2000 edition of Alternative Medicine magazine.
