Here’s a guide on how to journal and more importantly, how to use your journal to improve yourself
By Dheevya Gunaseelan
Remember those diaries you kept – or tried to keep – when you were younger? Journaling is almost like that. When you wrote in your diary as a child, it was about things that made you feel good and bad, things that happened at school that day, or what you did with your family. However, being an adult means experiencing many things that take a toll on your mental health, whether you realise it or not. With all those confusing emotions and stress-inducing thoughts, journaling can help make it a little easier to deal with.
Journaling is about putting your thoughts and feelings into words to understand them better. If you’re dealing with stress, anxiety, or depression, writing in a journal can be especially helpful. It offers a way to process emotions and can lead to a greater sense of emotional balance and mental well-being. Journaling is all about expressing yourself in a safe space and attempting to let go or rationalise what is troubling you.
Here are just some benefits of journaling:
- Helps reduce stress, manage anxiety, and cope with depression.
- Keeping track of daily symptoms helps you identify triggers and discover ways to manage them more effectively.
- Helps you break out of the cycle of obsessive thinking.
- Helps regulate emotions.
How to start journaling?
#1 Figure out your medium and style
Journaling can be done on paper or digitally. Decide which would be more convenient for you to keep. Then, pick your writing style:
- Expressive writing: Write whatever thoughts and emotions that come to mind when you think of a situation.
- Gratitude writing: Encourages you to focus on the positives and helps improve your mood.
- Visuals: Instead of writing, you express your experiences through drawings, paintings, or other forms of visual art.
- Mood Tracker: This helps you keep track of your moods over time, making it easier to identify triggers.
- Bullet Journalling: Write your entries in bullet form, allowing you to keep track of your tasks and goals easily.
#2 Getting started
- Try to add entries every day
Even if it’s only for 10 minutes, try to stick with those 10 minutes every day and get all your thoughts out. Set aside time each day when you’re most at ease and write down your day’s reflection. - Make journaling easy
Whether you choose to journal with a pen and paper, or digitally, ensure that your medium of choice is readily available. Get a journal that fits your bag, or ensure that the journaling app you use is available to use for however long you need it. - Write or draw whatever feels right
Your journal is your safe space. It doesn’t have to be in any certain structure; it can even be a mix of all the different types of journaling styles. Notice any spelling or grammatical errors when you read your entries? Who cares, those words are for your eyes only. - Keep journaling
Try not to miss a day between journaling. If you feel stuck or unsure of what to write next, just read through previous entries and repeat what you’ve already written. Once you have a thought process, writing will become easier.
How journaling can help you improve yourself:
Research shows that accepting our emotions can enhance mental health, lifting moods and easing anxiety. Journaling supports this by encouraging mindful acceptance, helping us feel less ‘stuck’ and able to move forward. Though the exact ways journaling benefits mental and physical health aren’t fully understood, it likely involves several key psychological processes:
- Emotional catharsis
This is a release of hidden conflicts by venting negative emotions. - Increased cognitive processing
This is a result of you spending time to create coherent narratives of what you experienced. - Repeated exposure
Being continuously exposed to situations that stress or upset you may reduce the occurrences of harmful thoughts or emotions. - Emotional inhibition
Inhibiting negative emotions is mentally and physically taxing, but facing them can aid in understanding yourself and mental clarity.
Journaling can bring a sense of order when life feels chaotic, helping you understand yourself by uncovering your deepest thoughts and feelings. Think of it as a personal unwind time – a moment just for you to relax and de-stress, and essentially have regular word vomit sessions. Find a cosy spot, maybe with a warm cup of tea, and enjoy this time to clear your mind. Remember, you’re doing something truly beneficial for your mental and physical well-being.
Sources: Help Guide, Positive Psychology, University of Rochester Medical Centre
