Award-winning author and writing coach Kim Green, owner of Blank Page Consulting, reminds us that when we hear the word “alignment,” many of us think of spines, chiropractors and physical adjustments. However, Green emphasizes that alignment is about much more than just the body—it’s about the mind and heart, too.

According to Mental Health America, over half of adults with a mental illness do not receive treatment, leaving over 27 million in the U.S. untreated. Green encourages us to consider the implications of this statistic: millions of people navigating life unaligned, with mental and emotional struggles left unaddressed. “Our bodies must be aligned with our hearts,” Green says. “Otherwise, we are crooked—both literally and physically.”

So what’s Green’s solution? Writing. She believes that writing can be a powerful tool for mental health, offering a pathway to self-discovery and healing. Through her work, Green focuses on writing as a transformative practice, allowing individuals to come into alignment with their true selves.

“When we seek alignment by relying solely on external conversations, we can end up trusting others without learning to trust ourselves,” Green observes. She explains that many people are haunted by past experiences, and their go-to coping mechanisms—whether substance abuse, workaholism or excessive exercise—are often distractions from deeper issues. “But there’s a way to break through the past,” Green assures. “The well-kept secret of writing as a panacea does not get its well-deserved attention. Writing helps you get to the truth. It helps us identify uncomfortable feelings and frees us to wrestle with them in the privacy of our souls. Writing is an intimate entanglement and begs for you to get involved.”