How to start Journaling for Mental Health
Have you also had a habit of diary writing in childhood? If yes then you remember that as teenagers we used to hide them from everyone else. It was our safe place to confess all our guilt.
Express our fears, to share our happiness with ourselves. without any fear of being punished or judged. It felt so good to write down all our emotions in our head on paper, believe that was the best feeling that I have experienced and you can totally relate to me if you were also a diary person.
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Well, after entering adulthood many of us must have stopped this diary writing exercise because we don’t have time due to our busy and fast-paced life these days. But it doesn’t mean that now you can’t practice it again. Its benefit and concepts are il applicable to our lives. In fact, I think that now we all need this safe place, more than anything, to share our feelings and emotions. So that means we all must think about starting it.
What Is Journaling?
It is simply the practice of writing down your thoughts and feelings on a piece of paper. If you are having too many struggles or difficulties in life then just start making the journal; if you are having depression or anxiety, start write a journal: If you are unable to understand your own self, then again I would say, start writing a journal.
But the question is how journaling would help in all these scenarios.
Well for that we would deeply discuss the benefits of journaling but in short, I can say that Journaling would help you to understand your situation, your thoughts, and your feelings and will help you to find out solutions to your problems.
Benefits Of Journaling
Manages Stress And Anxiety
Journaling is writing about your feeling and studies have shown that people who vent their feelings out by writing show lesser episodes of anxiety and have increased mental well-being.
Helps In Self-Awareness
When you are stressed due to a problem and you are writing it in a journal then believe me it’s your best way to cope with problems. When you write about your problems it helps you to identify the reason, and when you identify what is causing the stress you can think clearly of a solution to reduce your stress.
Encourages To Open Up
Journaling is like telling your problem to someone. This activity helps you to open up and prepares you to share your problem with your loved one. By doing so you get the courage to seek the necessary help.
Helps You To Move On
Studies have shown that journaling helps you to recover from a traumatic event. It breaks the continuous miserable cycle of thinking obsessively about the event and makes you feel light. It’s like you have to share your feelings with a close friend which is, yourself.
Regulates Emotions
It has been observed that people who pen down their daily thoughts and feeling are more likely to control their emotions effectively. This is because journaling has you to understand yourself and identify your own behavior pattern. This enables you to control your emotion and behavior according to the situation.
How To Start Journaling?
Journaling Is quite a fun activity and it has just one rule which, IT HAS NO RULE. You have to just express your feelings, thoughts, emotions, perspectives, and opinions in whatever way you like. But still, if you are confused then we have some tips for you that can surely help you to start journaling today:
Express Yourself On Anything
Some people get attracted by cute colorful stationery while some prefer simple blank papers. Well, it does not matter, you can write anywhere you want like q a cute notebook, an attractive journal, a simple black paper, or even on your computer. If you are too tired and not in the mood of writing then no worries just record your voice and vent out all your feelings.
Be Creative
If you are someone who is not fond of writing then there is nothing to worry about. As I have said journaling has no rule which means that it is not necessary to write proper sentences. You can write poetry, make a bullet journal, draw some pictures, make some paintings, and record a video/audio or even make a video. The ultimate goal is to create a space where you can freely hear yourself, it doesn’t matter what way of expression you are choosing.
Make A Gratitude Journal
If you are still confused that what you should write first then I would say start a gratitude journal. Make a morning routine of writing about three things that you are grateful for. You can write about more than three, but there should be at least three things. Do the same when your day ends.
This is a great practice to overcome the feeling of hopelessness and despair. If you had a bad day or you are passing through a difficult situation then this practice will remind you that despite such difficulties you still have so much to be grateful for like you are grateful for your ability to walk, breathe, able to eat food etc. Your gratitude journal will constantly remind you that you are still blessed and better than many people in this world.
Be Consistent
Always remember that consistency is the key to success. You can’t just do journaling occasionally and expect that it wonders for you. If you really want to get benefit from this practice then you have to show commitment and consistency. Make sure to allot at least 15 minutes of your day fr journaling and commit to yourself that no matter how bad or good your day was, you will share everything thing with yourself by penning it all down.
Don’t Pressurize Yourself
Remember that this whole concept of journaling is to relax, not to get overwhelmed. This means that if you have started journaling, don’t expect that it will do magic overnight and will make you feel good. It’s not like that because journaling is a practice, not a medicine. So to get its results you have to remain calm and consistent. However I you are having some serious psychological issues and experiencing clinical mental symptoms then you can’t just depend on journaling, you have to get proper therapy and journaling will be a part of it. It will surely make you feel good but doesn’t solve all your problems.
In Conclusion
Journaling is a very helpful habit for understanding yourselves. If you think that you are just wandering around your feelings and thoughts, then journaling will really help out explore yourself. Just a few minutes of writing per day will reduce your stress and boost your well-being. So create a consistent habit of journaling and remember the rule that THERE IS NO RULE, it’s just you and your will of expressing in whatever way you want.
