The next time you go see your therapist, she may recommend writing two blogs and calling her in the morning! It seems blogging is the new prescription of choice among mental health experts. According to Newsweek magazine, psychiatrists say writing a blog can have a significant therapeutic effect. Not only is it a creative outlet and a forum to vent, it’s a way to reach out to others and get feedback on your life.

In fact, according to a new study that’s being published in the journal Cyber-psychology and Behavior, bloggers are happier than non-bloggers. Just in case you’re a techno-phobe – the word ‘blog’ is short for web log – and it’s kind of like an on-line diary. Mental health experts say blogs are better than diaries because they give the writer an audience. As kids we learn that if we air our problems, we get help. So we learn to associate communication with consolation – especially when the going gets tough. Blogging also fulfills that primal need for sympathy.

Harvard neurologist Alice Flaherty says diaries are a form of communication – but you’re really only communicating with yourself. Blogging gets you closer to a sympathetic audience – and that’s what makes it therapeutic. Another positive aspect of blogging – it can be anonymous, so you get the connection with others without the risk of feeling vulnerable.  The psychologists give this warning: Be careful how much you reveal about your true self in a blog. So blog to your heart’s content, but leave some things to the imagination. You don’t need to share every last detail to get the mental health benefits. You can check out my blog at John Tesh Blog .com. and if you’d like to start a blog of your own, try a site like WordPress.com. The site walks you through the set up and it’s free.