Journaling Tips for Your Mental Health
“Journaling is like whispering to one’s self and listening at the same time.”
– Mina Murray
Ever since the pandemic started, there has been an uptick in the number of people worldwide trying out journaling. The effects of the lockdown had many people feeling on edge as restrictions in public places gave them no choice but to conform to the reality they were living in. Thus, many people resorted to journaling as a way to document what they were experiencing.
If you’re a first-timer to journaling or have been meaning to use the journal gathering dust on your shelf, you may have questions like — How does one even start journaling? Will it become a chore? How can I get the most out of journaling?
The concept of journaling
When you think about writing, it is fundamentally an organizing activity. According to Dr. Pennebaker, keeping a journal helps us organize an event in our mind, and make sense of trauma. We sleep better when we free our brains from having to process that experience, and our working memory improves. Journaling has a multitude of benefits such as an improved immune system and improved moods. Thus, journaling is often referred to as one of the more effective and cheapest acts of self-care.
The best forms of journaling
There are two main forms of journaling that you can explore: expressive journaling and traditional journaling.
The difference between expressive journaling and traditional journaling is that expressive journaling is deep and meaningful writing about events in your life, writing out the feelings that you experience during those events. Traditional journaling is writing more about what I did for today.
A study found that expressive writing was effective in decreasing depression scores among those diagnosed with major depressive disorder, indicating that it can be a useful supplement to existing interventions for treating depression.
In my previous article regarding building my resilience muscle, I mentioned some questions that I usually answer in my journal.
1. What are you feeling at the moment of the setback?
2. Why are you feeling this way?
3. Upon writing down the feelings, is there a solution to these feelings?
4. What are you grateful for today?
5. Summarize today’s picture with a drawing.
Point 5 is an example of what expressive journaling is. It can take the form of doodles, sketches, and much more.
Pitfalls to avoid when journaling
Despite its many benefits, It’s important to note that there are cases when people don't find journaling an effective way of benefitting their mental health. The reasons why can be varied, but these here are some major ones from Dr. Steven Stosny:
Journaling can make you live too much in your head
Journaling can make you a passive observer of your life (thinking about how you’ll record it instead of experiencing what is happening)
Journaling can make you self-obsessed
Journaling can encourage you to blame others instead of finding solutions
Journaling can encourage you to wallow in negative things that have happened to you
Ultimately, the benefit of journaling is to move from emotions to thoughts over time. As we externalise our feelings, we learn to name them, and we can start to observe patterns, like what are our triggers, and begin to set goals around how we can overcome them.