You took the Hope Score Assessment and discovered you’re Moderately-Hopeful to High-Hope—which means you’ve already built some incredible tools for navigating this season. (Oh wait… you didn’t take the Working Mom’s Hope Score Assessment?™ Let’s start there →)

You’ve likely done trauma work, you maintain healthy relationships, and you’ve created boundaries that protect your wellbeing.

Now you’re wondering about expressive writing as a way to continue processing your story.

I’m glad you’re here. Let’s talk about what expressive writing actually is, why it works, and—most importantly—how to actually use it when you’re a working mom who doesn’t have 20 minutes to spare.

What Is Expressive Writing?

Expressive writing is exactly what it sounds like: writing about your deepest thoughts and feelings regarding difficult or traumatic experiences.

It’s not journaling about your day (well, actually—we’ll get to that). It’s not making a gratitude list. It’s the kind of writing where you dive into the hard stuff—the experiences that still carry weight, the memories that show up uninvited, the stories you haven’t fully made sense of yet.

The research behind expressive writing comes primarily from psychologist James Pennebaker, who developed this approach in the 1980s. Since then, it’s been studied in over 100 research trials, showing modest but consistent benefits for both physical and psychological health (Pennebaker & Chung 2011; Pennebaker 2018).

Here’s what the research shows expressive writing can do:

• Reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety (Pennebaker & Beall 1986; Smyth 1998)
• Lower stress hormones and improve immune function (Pennebaker et al. 1988)
• Decrease posttraumatic stress symptoms (Di Blasio et al. 2015)
• Help people make sense of traumatic experiences through cognitive processing (Pennebaker & Chung 2011)

For mothers specifically, expressive writing has shown effectiveness in reducing postpartum depression and stress (Rabiepoor et al. 2020; Horsch et al. 2016; Lim et al. 2024).

Why Expressive Writing Works for Trauma

At the heart of Pennebaker’s theory is the idea that actively inhibiting thoughts and feelings about traumatic events requires effort, serves as a cumulative stressor on the body, and can lead to longer-term health problems (Pennebaker & Beall 1986).

When you write about trauma, you’re doing several things at once:

You’re externalizing the experience. Getting it out of your head and onto paper creates some distance between you and the event. It’s no longer just ruminating thoughts—it becomes something you can look at, examine, and work with.

You’re creating a coherent story. Trauma fragments our thinking. The first time people write about trauma, it’s often disorganized and chaotic. But as they continue writing, the traumatic episode starts to take shape as a more coherent narrative (Pennebaker & Chung 2011). Once organized, the events become smaller and easier to deal with.

You’re engaging in cognitive and emotional processing. You’re not just venting emotions—you’re exploring them, trying to understand them, and potentially finding new perspectives on what happened (Pennebaker & Chung 2011).

The Classic Pennebaker Protocol (And Why I Don’t Use It)

Here’s what the original research protocol looks like:

Time commitment: 15-20 minutes per day for 3-4 consecutive days

The approach: Write about your deepest thoughts and feelings about a specific traumatic or extremely stressful experience from your past. Really let go and explore your emotions and thoughts. Don’t worry about grammar or spelling—just write continuously.

If you’re diehard, nose to the grind, want to follow the research to the letter—go for it. This protocol works.

But here’s my problem with it: Working moms don’t have 15-20 minutes, and frankly, we don’t need to write about the past to benefit from expressive writing.

What Actually Works: Writing About Today

Here’s what I want you to understand: Your day—right now, today—is worthy of being processed through writing.

You’re in survival mode even though you’re high hope. The demands on you are relentless. The impossible math of being present for your kids AND your job is crushing your soul. Those experiences are important to process in the moment, not years later when you finally have time to reflect.

I took my writing to therapy during my burnout season. I wrote in the thick of postpartum depression. I didn’t write about childhood trauma or past events—I wrote about yesterday when I yelled at my kids again, about the pump session between meetings, about feeling like I was drowning while everyone else seemed to have it together.

And it made huge ground. Real, tangible progress in my healing and my hope.

My Approach: Write Until You Hit Your Stopping Point

Here’s what I actually do, and what I recommend you do:

Pick a manageable stopping point. That might be:

• The end of a journal page
• Five minutes on a timer
• Until your toddler finds you hiding in the bathroom
• One full notebook page in your car before you go into work

Write about your day or whatever’s got you riled up. Not some trauma from five years ago (unless that’s what’s got you riled up today). Write about:

• The meeting that made you want to scream
• Your toddler’s meltdown in Target
• The moment you realized you haven’t had a full night’s sleep in three years
• Feeling guilty about missing bedtime. Again.
• The weight of carrying everyone’s mental load
• Whatever is taking up space in your brain right now

Let your brain work through it. Don’t worry about making sense. Don’t edit. Don’t stop to think about what you’re writing. Just write.

Do this instead of picking up your phone. When you need a break, when you’re hiding in the bathroom, when you have five minutes between chaos—write instead of scroll.

The Writing Rules That Actually Matter

Here’s what you need to know about the actual act of writing:

Don’t stop. Keep your pen moving or your fingers typing until you hit your stopping point. If you get stuck, repeat what you’ve already written or write “I don’t know what to write” until something else comes.

Don’t edit. This is not the time for grammar, spelling, or making it sound good. This is stream-of-consciousness writing. Let it be messy.

Repeat words if you need to. If you’re stuck on a feeling or a thought, it’s okay to write the same thing multiple times in different ways.

Write for yourself alone. You don’t have to share this with anyone. The act of writing itself is what matters.

How to Actually Start (Step by Step)

Step 1: Pick your tool and your stopping point

• Journal and write to the end of the page?
• Scrap paper and write until your hand cramps?
• The crayon scribbled construction paper that’s already torn half to shreds?

Choose what feels doable TODAY.

Step 2: Write about what’s bothering you right now Start with: “Today I…” or “Right now I feel…” or “I can’t stop thinking about…”

Don’t overthink it. Just start.

Step 3: Keep writing until you hit your stopping point When your brain says “this is stupid” or “I don’t know what else to say”—keep writing. Write that. “This feels stupid. I don’t know what else to say. But I’m still writing because…”

Step 4: Close it and walk away You don’t have to reread it. You don’t have to keep it. You can throw it away if you want. The benefit happened in the writing, not in the keeping.

Step 5: Do it again tomorrow (or next time you need it) This isn’t about consecutive days or perfect consistency. This is about having a tool you can return to whenever you’re overwhelmed, stuck, or need to process what’s happening.

What Expressive Writing Did For Me

I’ve been using expressive writing as my primary processing tool for over a decade. It started as survival—a way to make sense of experiences that were too big to hold in my head alone.

What I discovered is that this kind of writing doesn’t just help me process trauma. It helps me become myself. It helps me figure out what I actually think and feel underneath all the noise.

Eventually, I started using this same freewriting process to create poetry. I’d write about my day, follow wherever my pen took me, and then look back at what had energy—what felt true and alive. Those pieces became poems.

If you’re interested in learning more about how I use expressive writing as the foundation for creative work, you can [explore my poetry writing process here] or check out my book Poems of a Burned Out Toddler Mom—which came directly from this practice during my burnout season.

But you don’t need to make poetry. You don’t need to make anything. The writing itself is the work.

When to Use Expressive Writing (And When Not To)

Expressive writing might be helpful if:

• You’re feeling overwhelmed by your daily experiences and need a way to process them
• You have unprocessed trauma or stressful experiences that still bother you
• You’re already in a place of relatively high hope and stability (like you are!)
• You have healthy coping mechanisms and support systems in place
• You’re looking for a low-cost, accessible tool you can use anytime

A Few Important Reminders

I’m not a therapist. I’m a certified Hope Navigator trained in Trust-Based Relational Intervention®, and I create tech-free mindfulness tools for working moms. But I’m not providing therapy or medical advice. If you’re dealing with significant trauma, please work with a qualified mental health professional. (And for what it’s worth, I’m a big fan of therapists, treatment, and medication—#zoloft4life.)

This isn’t a magic fix. The overall effect size of expressive writing across studies is modest—around 0.16 (Pennebaker 2018). That means it helps, but it’s not going to solve everything. Think of it as one tool in your toolkit, not the only tool.

Your daily experiences are valid trauma. You don’t have to have “big T trauma” from your past to benefit from this work. The relentless demands of working motherhood, the constant feeling of failing at everything, the drowning sensation of never being enough—that’s worthy of being processed. That’s worthy of your attention and care.

Ready to Start?

You don’t need a fancy journal. You don’t need the perfect time or place. You just need a few minutes and something to write with.

The next time you’re about to pick up your phone for a break—try this instead. Write until you hit the end of the page or until five minutes is up.

Write about today. Write about what’s got you riled up. Let your brain work through it.

And remember: this season feels unknown and chaotic. It makes complete sense that you’d want tools to help you process it all. But you’re already doing such a great job. People are in awe of what you’re accomplishing.

The world’s a better place because you’re in it.

And I’m so glad that you’re you.

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Want to Go Deeper?

Explore my poetry writing process: Learn how I use expressive writing as the foundation for creating poetry—and how you can too. Read more about my writing process here.→

Carry hope in your pocket: My book Poems of a Burned Out Toddler Mom came directly from the expressive writing practice I used during my burnout season. It’s designed to be the high-hope friend you can turn to instead of your phone when you need a minute.

Get weekly support: If you took the hope assessment, you’re on my “Your Weekly Hug” email list with four ten-second activities each week to boost your happy brain chemicals. Keep showing up for yourself—you’re doing great. Didn’t take the assessment? Get it here→

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References

Crawley, R., Ayers, S., Button, S., et al. (2018). Feasibility and acceptability of expressive writing with postpartum women: a randomised controlled trial. BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth, 18, 75.

Di Blasio, P., Camisasca, E., Caravita, S. C. S., Ionio, C., Milani, L., & Valtolina, G. G. (2015). The effects of expressive writing on postpartum depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Psychological Reports, 117(3), 856–882.

Horsch, A., Tolsa, J. F., Gilbert, L., du Chêne, L. J., Müller-Nix, C., & Graz, M. B. (2016). Improving maternal mental health following preterm birth using an expressive writing intervention: A randomized controlled trial. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 47(5), 780–791.

Lim, J. X., et al. (2024). Effectiveness of expressive writing therapy for postpartum women with psychological distress: Meta-analysis and narrative review. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics.

Pennebaker, J. W. (2018). Expressive writing in psychological science. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(2), 226–229.

Pennebaker, J. W., & Beall, S. K. (1986). Confronting a traumatic event: Toward an understanding of inhibition and disease. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 95(3), 274–281.

Pennebaker, J. W., & Chung, C. K. (2011). Expressive writing: Connections to physical and mental health. In H. S. Friedman (Ed.), Oxford Handbook of Health Psychology. Oxford University Press.

Pennebaker, J. W., Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K., & Glaser, R. (1988). Disclosure of traumas and immune function: Health implications for psychotherapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56(2), 239–245.

Rabiepoor, S., Vatankhah-Alamdary, N., & Khalkhali, H. R. (2020). The effect of expressive writing on postpartum depression and stress of mothers with a preterm infant in NICU. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 27(4), 867–874.

Smyth, J. M. (1998). Written emotional expression: Effect sizes, outcome types, and moderating variables. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66(1), 174–184.