Stop feeling Lost… How Journaling Improves Your Mental Health
Journaling for mental health is about writing about challenging events in your life. Through writing, you are able to experience your emotions and express your suffering and hurt. You will work to develop kindness for your mistakes, acceptance of your imperfections. Through journaling, you can improve your well-being, find joy, and purpose in your life.
Are you suffering from Anxiety?
Begin to Find Your Joy through Journaling
What is Journaling?
Journaling is a powerful tool for mental health and well-being. Whether you’ve had the practice of journaling before or not, it can be difficult to figure out where to start with this process. Below are some tips that will hopefully give you a good idea of how best to approach journaling for mental health.
Journaling for mental health focuses on your suffering. The writing centers around stressful things that have happened. You write down your thoughts, emotions, actions surrounding the event. You are writing so you can get a better outlook which improves your depression and anxiety. This process will allow you to feel like yourself again.
The goal of journaling is to increase your well-being. This occurs by bringing attention to your thoughts. Joy and happiness are a by-product.
When you identify your thoughts and write them, this allows you to change. The first step is to become aware of what you are thinking. When you know what your thoughts are you can learn to work toward acceptance. You will learn to not judge them as good or bad, but rather develop compassion towards yourself.
Many times you may avoid your emotions. Journaling gives you the opportunity to stop avoiding and suppressing them. Emotions are a signal. Experiencing them will reduce their power over you.
Pen vs Typing
It is important that your activity of journaling be handwritten. Typing does not allow for the same amount of memory recall that handwriting does. When information is handwritten it leads to improved encoding. A fancy word for getting information into your brain and determining its importance. Which leads to better analysis of the information.
Using a laptop or computer for journaling is also distracting. Self-inquiry is already challenging. You do not need any distractions. Journaling on electronic devices can become a tool of avoidance.
Why Should You Journal?
It takes time and effort to grow to become the person you want to be. You would not go on vacation without planning your trip first. You can not improve your well-being without first knowing yourself.
There are health benefits to journaling. The process will improve your emotional health and physical health. Research has shown the following physical health benefits:
A faster rate of healing
Improved immune system
Reduced blood pressure
How do I Start My Mental Health Journal?
Start where you are. If you find yourself lost and overwhelmed. The most important step is to begin.
Begin before you are ready, begin before you have read every book and every blog post. You may even need to begin before you have a journal. Notebook paper will do. Don’t allow yourself to get caught in the trap of what is right/wrong. Just begin.
The first time you drove a car. I am pretty sure you did not know what you were doing. Your first goal was to understand the vehicle. If I push the break this hard what will happen. If I push the gas this hard what will happen. Journaling is the same. It is a journey, an exploration. Allow yourself to be okay with the exploration phase of journaling.
What Do You Write in a Journal for Mental Health?
Please remember this journal is your personal journey. It is important to write about experiences that have been hard on you. You should write about your emotions toward the event. You may feel different today than when it happened. Write about both present and past emotions. It is important to write about what happened in as much detail as you can recall. What are your thoughts about the event? Write them down so you can explore them.
What Kinds of Journaling are there?
Journaling is about taking thoughts out of mind and putting them down on paper. It is about self-expression and self-exploration. There are two main types of journaling. One is about writing your thoughts and exploring them. Another type is about setting a goal that is then monitored and modified based upon your actions.
There are three forms of journal writing:
Expressive writing: This writing focuses on writing about a challenge you have. The goal is to express your thoughts and emotions. You also explore how it has affected you and affected parts of your life: family, friends, work, ect…
Guided Journaling: This writing is about responding to prompts.
Goal Setting Journaling: This type of writing is all about achieving a goal. Your writing is about monitoring your progress. Goal setting allows you to achieve the goals you have set for yourself.
When is the Best Time to Journal?
The time of day you journal does not matter. What does matter is developing a habit of journaling? How do you develop a habit of journaling?
It can be hard to develop a habit of journaling. It may feel overwhelming to think about writing every day. You may imagine getting up early every day and writing. You may tell yourself what is the point you barely get to work on time. You may also tell yourself trying to journal regularly feels pointless.
You do not need to write for a long time. Think about a point in your day where you have downtime. Could it be prior to walking in the door to work? Could it be after dropping off kids to school/daycare? Could it be after work?
It is important to journal at a time that fits into your life. It can not become a habit if it does not fit into your schedule. Think about periods of time in your day where you can have peace and quiet.
If you are used to only writing your thoughts when they are dark and terrible that is fine. Journaling can be about exploring new topics too. Journaling does not have to be thought challenging in order to be helpful.
How Often Should I Journal?
You may not have the same schedule every day. You may have one routine Monday through Friday and a different routine on the weekends. Your goal should be to journal between 3 to 5 times per week to see benefits.
Journaling the same number of days every week may not fit in your routine. Journal when it works for you. Start small. Try journaling 3 times a week for about 5-10 minutes at a time. Journaling will become easier and easier over time with consistent practice.
How Do You Learn to Journal Regularly?
In order to start using a journal as part of your daily routine, try these steps:
The first step is to set a goal for yourself. Take time to explore your why. Why do you want to journal and what benefits are you wanting to gain.
The second step is to set up an environment to succeed.
Set up an environment that will help you develop the regular routine of journaling. The following questions will help you.
Where will you journal?
Where will you keep your journal?
What activity will you do before journaling?
What will you do after journaling?
When will you journal (morning? evening?)
Thinking through these steps will allow you to develop a habit of journaling.
Journaling for Depression.
Depression involves constant thoughts about the past. These thoughts are important and impact how you are feeling. It is important to write about your negative thoughts.
One of the most recognizable treatments for depression is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This modality focuses on negative thoughts that maintain depression. Learning to challenge them will be helpful for improving depression. Journaling that focuses on your thoughts will help to improve your depression.
A second recognized treatment for depression is Interpersonal Therapy. This therapy focuses on your relationships and the stressful parts of them. Journaling will allow you to work through them to help you better address them in your daily life.
A third recognized treatment for depression is Problem-solving therapy. Journaling should focus on your problems. Your writing will identify ways to address these problems.
Journaling for Anxiety or Stress
Anxiety involves though that focus on your fears. It is important when focusing on journaling for anxiety to focus on things that frighten you. Your writing will focus on not magnetizing the potential of them coming true.
A therapy that focuses on anxiety is Exposure Therapy. It is important to identify the things that frighten you. Once you know what it is you can begin working on a plan to challenge those fear. So they will no longer control you.
Which Journaling is Best?
No matter which journaling you choose, you will be able to work through your thoughts and feelings in a healthy way. Journaling allows you the space to explore any issue that is on your mind.
The journaling that is best is the one that fits your unique life situation.
One week you may feel anxious and another week depressed. Another week you may have a project to complete and need to organize your task to get the project done. It is important to change your techniques as your mood changes and as your goals change.
Is Journaling Good for Mental Health?
Journaling for mental health purposes is good for many aspects of your mental health.
Mood/affect
Psychological well-being
Depressive symptoms before examinations
Post-traumatic intrusion and avoidance symptoms
When your mental health is doing better you are also able to perform better. Research has shown that journaling will also help you perform better.
Improved students’ grade point average
Reduced absenteeism from work
Improved re-employment after job loss
Improved working memory
Improved sports performance
Improved interactions with others
Journaling for mental health is a great way to track your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. A journal can also provide an outlet for personal expression. It can help you identify the roots of your anxiety or depression so that you might be able to address it. It will allow you to further your emotional growth and help you develop a better outlook.
You may find it helpful to have guided writing prompts. Get started today with the free Mental Health Journal Toolkit.
Are you suffering from Anxiety?
Begin to Find Your Joy through Journaling
Other Helpful Post ….
Citation:
Ellen@paulekman.com. “Managing Emotional Triggers.” Paul Ekman Group, 16 Nov. 2021, https://www.paulekman.com/blog/managing-emotional-triggers/.
plc, Paul Ekman International. “A Brief Look into Dr. Paul Ekman's Early Research: Paul Ekman International PLC.” A Brief Look Into Dr. Paul Ekman's Early Research | Paul Ekman International Plc, https://www.ekmaninternational.com/a-brief-history-into-paul-ekmans-early-research/.
Plutchik, Robert (1980), Emotion: Theory, research, and experience: Vol. 1. Theories of emotion, 1, New York: Academic
Spunt RP, Adolphs R. The neuroscience of understanding the emotions of others. Neurosci Lett. 2019 Feb 6;693:44-48. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.06.018. Epub 2017 Jun 15. PMID: 28624265; PMCID: PMC5732077.
The information provided through this blog is for educational and informational purposes only. By reading this blog, you agree not to use this as medical/psychiatric advice to treat any medical/psychiatric condition. By reading this blog it does not create a physician-patient relationship. Consult your own physician for any medical/psychiatric issues that you may be having. This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the blog. Under no circumstances shall Nicole Gutierrez MD, Kwinpax Behavioral Health PLLC, any guests or contributors to the blog, or any employees, associates, or affiliates of Kwinpax Behavioral Health PLLC be responsible for damages arising from the use of the blog.
