Journaling Is My Therapy

There has been much discussion on whether journaling can be therapeutic or even enjoyable. Unless you're a poet laureate, most people don't wake up with a profound zest for writing an essay right? In order for journaling to be viewed as a beneficial coping skill when battling certain mental health symptoms, then we need to change our perspective about writing. You can't be all in with incorporating journaling techniques within your arsenal of coping skills to help you relax, if you have absolutely no intention to write. Just like with anything new that you may be starting, start off small and see where the process leads you. It can be as small as 3 to 5 sentences starting off, and pay close attention to if you're willing to divulge more about the things that have been stressing you out lately. I've seen the positive effects of journaling even in my own life. Simply writing about how I felt at the moment, and some of the things that I currently had going on at that particular time was significantly helpful to me in a number of ways.

Journaling techniques have been helpful with an array of mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, and obsessive thoughts. Take for instance if you're battling with anxiety, and experiencing ruminating thoughts, which is continuously thinking about the same negative thoughts over and over again, then writing can be of great help to you. Journaling can help to quell your anxious or depressed thoughts and leave you with a sense of calmness. Some clients have mentioned to me how cathartic it's been for them to journal because their friend or therapist aren't always accessible to talk to when they're feeling stressed out or overwhelmed. As a result of this, writing has been a great way of helping them to relax a bit more. Journaling can also be beneficial by helping someone prioritize their anxious thoughts so that they are not left feeling scatter brained. Journaling has been utilized to identify the negative thoughts that may be associated with unprocessed traumatic experiences. In no way am I endorsing journaling as your main source of therapeutic intervention, but it can help you gain a sense of mental equilibrium to calm the anxiety or stress that's probably left you feeling unsettled. Let's change the narrative about journaling, (no pun intended. Lol!) by utilizing it in our everyday lives the next time we're feeling a bit irritable or stressed out.