Get it down and lift your spirits
Taking a course in writing therapy may be beneficial - but difficult to find in Hong Kong.
Psychologist Melanie Bryan says she uses writing as therapy for drug addicts. She asks them to write a letter to their drug, for example.
It might sound ridiculous, but she says the results speak for themselves.
'I have the person write a goodbye letter,' Bryan says. 'A lot of grieving comes out. Or, they say something like they'll remain good friends, because drug addiction is an attachment. It's been very helpful.'
Bryan says she's heard of psychologists using the letter form to write to their clients.
'It validates the client,' she says. 'It's a very positive letter.'
Writing in a journal is nothing new, but if you want to write it all down in a public environment, there are a number of creative writing courses in Hong Kong.
'If someone is enrolling in a creative writing course, they're usually writing from their own experience and drawing on their own perceptions,' she says. 'It can make public someone's private pain. Most people find that it's very therapeutic when they realise others feel the same way.'
