You know what I find so wild… journaling is so powerful and helpful and when most people think about it all they see is the dramatics of an adolescent girl. We have all seen shows where the girl is doodling in her notebook or writing about her latest crush. We had no idea how healing writing could be. The reality is journaling provides a safe and creative outlet that gives relief to our minds, while also gaining insights into who we are at our core. Depending on your belief system you could even write your way into the life you want.
Journaling is jotting down any and everything that our minds can conjure. Allowing our thoughts and emotions to attain tangibility is an excellent curator for our mental wellbeing. Journaling helps polish our perspective as well the ability to process events, much like we’re able to when sharing with a friend.
Journaling and mental health:
Most professionals and thought leaders will tell you a journaling routine is an incredibly beneficial activity for mental health. It might seem surprising that the simple act of writing down what we see, sense, and feel could heal the mind. Research provides plenty of evidence on how journaling is a viable way to help manage symptoms of mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, and even stress.
Here are a few ways journaling can help improve mental health:
It cultivates self-awareness: Take a few steps back to the claim that journaling is like conversing with a friend. Now imagine if you were able to accurately look back on these conversations, word to word; wouldn’t that help hold up an objective lens to yourself?
It encourages emotional regulation: If you journal, you'll eventually find that you're a lot more in sync with your emotions as well as your ability to process events. You will be well past the tendency of avoiding emotions that don’t feel as pretty or denying how you feel about certain circumstances.
It fosters the ability to seek help: Have you ever realized how hard it is for us to open up, admit we’re vulnerable, and ask for help? Journaling allows us to be honest with ourselves, and when we’re able to do that, being honest about our needs with others comes a little easier.
How to start journaling:
I bet you were thinking there would be some secret sauce here but there is not. Just start. Sure nice notebooks and fancy pens are great but really you need pen and paper, or even the notes app on your phone. It does not have to be extravagant you just have to start.
Opt for consistency: Journaling does not demand that you offer a certain length of words and pages, but it certainly asks for consistency. Try to journal every day, and little by little, you’ll pick up the pace as it becomes a routine. Even if you just do one line a day the point is to do it daily.
Don’t over-complicate it: Before anything else, remember that you’re only journaling for yourself and no one else. As you write, use the words and ways that feel most natural and expressive to you; there’s no need to complicate the process by trying to integrate hard words and structures. There is no grade or prize for the most eloquent journal. This is for you.
Journal however you see fit: There's no declaration of rules that dictate how journaling has to be carried out. You can write, draw, doodle, or even scribble in your journal as long as you feel that it's the perfect manifestation of whatever you want to put across. Your journal is your canvas. You can do a gratitude list, a one-line sentence of how the day went, or just write feeling words you experienced throughout the day.