According to Debbie Bitticks, there are 101 reasons to document your life story. These include: remembering the challenges and triumphs you faced on your life journey; an opportunity to analyze your past while gaining insight about who you are today; understanding how your experiences have influenced the path you chose in life; and becoming aware of ambitions or dreams that you have not yet realized. The list goes on from there, too.
Debbie should know. She’s the creator of “Cherished Memories”, a 96-page guide for documenting your life story or that of a loved one. Now, she can add a 102 reason for documenting your life story: It’s good for your health.
A recent article by Matthew Solan, executive editor of Harvard’s Men’s Health Watch, shed light on this. From the article: “The actual writing aspect also can be a therapeutic tool as you explore issues that may still trouble you. A study published in the March 2018 JAMA Psychiatry found that writing about a specific upsetting memory was just as effective as traditional cognitive processing therapy in treating adults with post-traumatic stress disorder.”
[See: How Music Helps People With Alzheimer’s Disease.]
Wow — think of the mental health cost savings!
Ken Bitticks, Debbie’s husband, used her book to document his father’s life. He says: “As we’re going through this with my father, one of the things that was absolutely amazing to me is that here’s a man 85 years old, and I started going through the questions, guiding him through discussion, [and] I realized I knew almost nothing about him. You think you know your parent, but you really don’t.”
The Benefits Are Many
Capturing a life story is more than just an exercise in storytelling. It’s a chance to pass along wisdom and life lessons. It gives you an opportunity to exercise your memory; organize your photos and music; and discover if any events from your past are still impacting your life. According to Debbie, it gives you an opportunity for self-growth, reflection and awareness. It’s a chance to strengthen family bonds, friendships and intimate relationships. You can capture your health history and even draft an ethical will to share your values, blessings, life’s lessons, hopes and dreams for the future, love and forgiveness with your family, friends and community.
[See: 14 Ways Caregivers Can Care for Themselves.]
Where to Start
Well, not necessarily at the beginning. You could start by places you have lived and the homes you’ve lived in. It could be your childhood house, your first home or the home where your kids were raised. Photos certainly can prompt memories and stories. Or you can use writing prompts, like the ones Debbie has collected in “Cherished Memories.” Her book is organized as follows: Birth — Twelve; My Teen Years; My Adult Life; Values & Philosophies; My Favorites; My Family Tree; My Health History; Additional Thoughts & Stories; Extra Pages: Photographs: Articles/Documents.
Brendan Kearney, a Vitalize 360 wellness coach at Harvard-affiliated Hebrew SeniorLife, said in the article, “You would be surprised at how interested your peers and family members are in your stories and personal history. You have a unique firsthand account of your culture and history that others don’t, and leaving a recorded history of your life can be an important gift to both you and your descendants.”
I’m Not a Writer!
No worries. Perhaps someone can audio interview you, and then you can have the audio transcribed using tools like Sonix, InqScribe or Dragon NaturallySpeaking. You can do that when interviewing a loved one as well. There are some well-honed writing tips if you’re up to it. For example: Write every day for a short period of time, and write at the same time of day. The Harvard article suggest writing longhand, as doing so can activate parts of the brain associated with short- and long-term memory. The slower process can also help improve attention and information processing.
[See: 9 Habits That May Reduce Your Risk of Developing Alzheimer’s.]
Get a Head Start
Debbie is on a mission to have everyone capture their life story. To that end, I’m working with her to spread the word. Here’s the great news. She’s giving away a PDF version of “Cherished Memories” at no charge. If you’re thinking of capturing your story or that of a loved one, send me an email and I’ll send you “Cherished Memories.”
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The Health Benefits of Documenting Your Life Story originally appeared on usnews.com
