Storytelling refers to an activity of which the story being told by one person to another. Many people perceive that somehow storytelling is related to a moment when parents telling story to kids in their bedtime before finally leads them to a good night’s sleep.
However, it is not actually limited to deliver tales to children. Storytelling offers a broader sense aside from merely a fairy tale and its happy ending. In fact, sharing experience in front of a group of people is also one of storytelling types. Most important detail not to being forgotten is: storytelling seems to offer good results not only for kids but also for people of all ages.
In this modern era, storytelling is still exceptionally beneficial even though people nowadays view it as traditional. Although it may seem simple and just for having fun, the health benefits of storytelling for mental health are greatly surprising. During the weekdays, you might be busy with work. Then sometimes in spare time you spend your time by managing your social media.
On the other hand, kids are stuck to their gadget and that is no longer a rare phenomenon. Compared to being unplugged from gadget and watching TV shows – storytelling is a lot more essential for your well-being, especially for your mental health.
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Here is a list of health benefits of storytelling for mental health:
One benefit you can get from storytelling session is that you can boost your creativity. Research has shown that at the time you become the person who hears the story or usually mentioned as ‘listener’ – you will experience and feel something that is being told by the teller.
For example, as a teller tells story about a delicious food, you are going to imagine on how tasty it is. After that, your sensory cortex in your brain is activated. Since it can make your brain gets more active, therefore it builds your creativity. You can stay creative and would not find it hard to find any ideas.
Once you listen to story, you imagine the situation that is being portrayed in that story. If after few days later you want to try to recall what the story is about, as you are imagining the sequence of events in that narrative, it increases your ability to memorize something.
Same goes if you want your kids’ memory sharpened. Right after you tell the story, you can ask your kids to retell what is going on in that story. The way they remember details and order, it sharpens their memory.
Besides reading book after it is stated in Benefits of Reading, paying attention to storytelling can increase vocabulary as well, especially when it is applied to kids. The variety of vocabulary is so much easier to be digested by kids when being learnt in a fun activity like storytelling. Without being in a serious atmosphere like learning in class, storytelling is a more enticing method to study with more enjoyment.
By the time they listen to the story, words and phrases that are being heard by them automatically makes the children familiar with those words. They become more fluent both in speaking and reading because storytelling helps increasing their vocabulary.
When you gather around some other people in storytelling session, the loneliness goes away. As you know before, storytelling is not only about parents tell story to their children. In a case of which people exchange their story with one another, you will feel no longer alone.
Instead of feel all alone, storytelling gives you a sense of togetherness. Surrounded among people and at the same time sharing story can cast away the feeling of being alone. In addition, it makes you become a more sociable person.
Listening to other people’s story can grow happiness within yourself. This can be more beneficial to give happiness when the storytelling includes participants to exchange role interchangeably. It means the teller can be a listener and vice versa.
Once you heard a story of other people, particularly when it comes to their struggle and how they survived, you will be given such a new perspective of life. It also gives you gratitude and you will feel happier about your life. Same goes if you are being a teller. Sharing your experience in front of people makes you happy and proud of yourself.
Aside from blue dream weed, as it explained in Benefits of Blue Dream Weed – storytelling has something to do with tossing away depression. In a moment where you hear an amazing story, you can digest what happen in that story and learn new lesson. That good vibe would not let you be in depression anymore since you are encouraged by positivity.
Besides, when you tell story and let the others know, it means you let go of the burden. So, you are no longer keeping it for yourself. Most importantly, you stop from being depressed all the time.
If you have a problem with being confident in public because you have low self-esteem, storytelling might be a good idea for you to develop confidence. In a situation where you see the teller delivers an aspiring story, you might see life in a bigger picture and leads you to a more positive person. Therefore, storytelling can increase the level of your self-esteem.
It can also be advantageous to raise self-esteem in a way that you change your role from listener into teller. By changing role into a teller, you can learn how to present a story on your own towards other people. You can talk about anything, the topic you are interested in. At first, you might feel a little bit burdened because you are unfamiliar with being a center of attention. But as you passed this, you can be more confidence.
Recommendation:
Since it is good for your mental health, a more storytelling in your life is important to be considered. Work or business related may cause you to feel overwhelmed. Therefore, it is a good choice to make time for storytelling with your friend and maybe join community.
Regardless of whether you are busy or not, you should try to add it to your schedule. It can be in weekly schedule or in your spare time. Those health benefits of storytelling for mental health are worth to try. Let yourself be in a peaceful state of mind so you are able to stay healthy!