Elizabeth Oram

New York City

The writer is a nurse-practitioner in geriatrics.

Psychology

Your Story, but Better

Re “Writing Your Way to Happiness” (Well, Jan. 20):

I’ve often turned to journaling whenever I find myself in a rut. It’s always been a useful tool to organize the myriad thoughts and emotions that crisscross my brain. But writing in and of itself will not lead to happiness. You have to add a dash of optimism. You have to make the narrative read as you want it to read. Like athletes who visualize a win, writing can help you visualize the happier you.

Mike, San Diego, posted to nytimes.com

Writing is not for everyone. I tried writing away my problems for years, and all it did was force me to dwell on them and bring up bad feelings. Finally, I tossed the journals I’d written and use the blank ones for scrap paper. Problem solved. I don’t even think about writing anything now unless it’s a grocery list (or a comment on self-help articles).

Deb, New York, posted to nytimes.com

I managed to recover from a major depression by writing my memoir. Two-hundred and twenty pages, which I revised about 15 times (each version is saved on my computer). That was 10 years ago, and I haven’t had an episode since. The first version was a rant. With each editing, I saw things I’d missed about my own life. Version after version, my story became more nuanced, more understanding and empathetic, not only toward myself but toward those who I’d considered my abusers, the ones who’d “brought me down.” I began to understand their perspective too and managed to forgive. Only a few close friends have read it, but it’s not for public consumption. It’s for me.

SusieQ, Europe, posted to nytimes.com

I recently prepared a rough draft of my obituary. I am pleased with the result. It turns out that I was tall, handsome, witty and a devil with women. Apart from a few minor corrections, I’m gonna let it stand exactly as it is.