We were all taught how to write ‘diary entries’ during our English classes each entry always started with the phrase ‘Dear diary,’. It seemed so silly to start writing your day’s experience as if you were writing a letter to a friend, rather even writing them at times felt like a chore. Reading a few of them now I feel a bit nostalgic, it feels like I was actually addressing these entries as a letter to my older self in the future to remind him of all the silly things that made me smile back then, and to remind him to appreciate the little moments that go unnoticed in daily life.
We may have stopped using a diary, running the race for life. But the concept and its benefits still apply. We now call it journaling. It's as simple as writing down or typing out our thoughts and feelings to understand them more clearly. Moreover, if one is struggling with stress, depression, or anxiety, keeping a journal is a great idea. It can help you gain control of your emotions and improve your mental health. It also helps us articulate and express our feelings better while we write it down, it helps us understand our emotions better and often helps us correct certain behaviors which might be troublesome in nature.
Benefits of Journaling
After a long tiring day, you want to vent out all your frustrations and scream out loud but in privacy, the journal is the best way to do that. Writing all your frustrations in the journal doesn’t solve any problems but helps you lighten the weight of your mind, which helps you think clearly. People who have used journaling, state that it’s not uncommon to notice something bothersome in their life once they write it down and it also became easier for them to work out these problems a bit faster. This makes a journal a helpful tool in managing your mental health.
Journaling can help you:
Control anxiety
Lower stress
Cope with depression
Journaling helps control your symptoms for your mental health issues and improve your mood by helping you prioritize problems, fears, and concerns the right way, tracking your symptoms on a regular basis so that you can recognize triggers and learn better ways to control them or even avoid them, helps you to keep yourself motivated by positive reinforcement and identifying negative thoughts and behaviors allowing you to keep things under control instead of spiraling down the dark rabbit hole. Having a journal while you are stressed while facing a problem, can be very helpful since it helps you identify the root cause of the stress and anxiety. Once you’ve identified your stressors (factors that cause stress), you can work on a plan to resolve the problems and reduce your stress.
Keep in mind that journaling is just one aspect of a healthy lifestyle for better managing stress, anxiety, and mental health conditions. To get the most benefits, be sure you also:
· Relax and meditate each day.
· Eat a healthy, balanced diet.
· Exercise regularly—get in some activity every day.
· Treat yourself to plenty of sleep each night.
· Stay away from alcohol and drugs.
Use your journal to make sure you follow these guidelines daily.
How do I start?
· Try to write every day.
Set aside a few minutes every day to write. This will help you to write in your journal regularly.
· Make it easy.
Keep a pen and paper handy at all times. Then when you want to write down your thoughts, you can. You can also keep a journal in a computer file if you are really tech savvy.
· Write whatever feels right.
Unlike the school mandated format your journal doesn't need to follow any certain structure. It's your own private place to discuss whatever you want. Let the words flow freely. Don't worry about spelling mistakes or what other people might think.
· Use your journal as you see fit.
You don't have to share your journal with anyone. If you do want to share some of your thoughts with trusted friends and loved ones, you could show them parts of your journal.
Remember to read your journal once in a while after all its your own story written by you. You are the main character in this plot, and like every story having flashbacks is a must, since it helps you to take a break and appreciate all that you have and far you have come and reminiscence in nostalgia.
Keeping a journal helps you create order when your world feels like it’s in chaos. You get to know yourself by revealing your most private fears, thoughts, and feelings. Look at your writing time as personal relaxation time. It's a time when you can de-stress and wind down. Write in a place that's relaxing and soothing, maybe with a cup of tea. Look forward to your journaling time. And know that you're doing something good for your mind and body.
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