We can all agree that the last couple of years have been very complicated and chaotic. Finding a way to compose yourself is becoming more valuable by the minute. I like to believe there are no wrong answers while you search for what is good for you. However, I have to admit that in all the self-care movements, journaling felt like the worst possible option for me. I refrained from doing it for years.
Recently, my therapist suggested I should try journaling. I could barely avoid rolling my eyes. However, I agreed to give it a try. The first thing I did was get myself a diary because I feel I must visually enjoy whatever I am doing. So, if I were to start writing my thoughts and feelings, I would at least do it in a beautiful notebook. I feel like I see a work of art every time I look around for my diary. It makes creating the habit so much easier; well, at least it does it for me.
How to begin
With a lot of skepticism, I started to write one afternoon, with some background music and a tall glass of iced tea. I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to write per se, but I wrote the date on the top of the page, and slowly the words started to come out. Surprisingly enough, I felt extremely relaxed and contained after writing for a couple of minutes. At that very moment, I understood that I had been a fool all this year, assuming journaling wasn’t for me.
Amazed by my own foolishness, I decided to investigate journaling a bit more. Now that my eyes have been opened to this fantastic practice, I wanted to get up to speed with all the information available already for everyone else. My first finding was this fascinating article, in which the author explains how journaling is one of the most affordable ways of self-care you can perform, alongside meditation. They also pointed out how journaling as a habit can help you significantly improve your mindfulness, communication, and memory.
Upon further reading, I kept finding myself more and more surprised about how such a simple activity could translate into many benefits. The Health Encyclopedia of the University of Rochester Medical Center points out how journaling can be a great tool to help you manage stress, depression, or anxiety by allowing you to prioritize your problems and keep track of triggers and self-southing methods. I never stopped to think why it was important to write down my thoughts, not even to myself, but this far into my research, I was fully convinced.
It made me wonder: Did I keep myself from journaling because I couldn’t face my feelings?
Why does journaling work so well?
I managed to land on the BetterUp guide to starting journaling. They describe journaling as something that “can help you understand and work through your emotions, especially when you’re feeling anxious or sad.” I can agree with the hypothesis of not being ready to face my anxiety. I am glad that leads me to believe that the more you work on yourself, the more things become possible for you.
The same guide explains that there are five major types of journaling: visual, diary, free writing, gratitude, and bullet. All of these are self-explanatory. Given the nature of the process, you most likely will gravitate towards one type, based on what you are going through. That’s the beauty of it. You can always wander around to find what adapts to you.
The BetterUp guide describes the overall relevance of journaling as a powerful way to do inner work that will lead you through breakthroughs and insight that will support your healing journey. It also remarked on the beneficial calming effects of daily journaling that will help you if you deal with emotional exhaustion.
What now?
Give yourself a chance to put your thoughts in writing. There’s no wrong way to do it, and whatever you decide will benefit you. Once you start, you will find yourself looking for time and a new way to write. That moment of solitude will allow you to focus and find some difficult answers.
Documenting your thoughts will also give you an invaluable tool to face your anxiety, a log of information that allows you to study and understand your behaviours and triggers. Understanding your symptoms and working with them instead of against them will exponentially increase your progress regarding handling your anxiety.
So please don’t be shy and start working on yourself. It’s not too late to start working on yourself and becoming a better version of yourself.