Journaling For Health

Why journal for health?

Journaling for health can help you manage stress, track your moods, and monitor your physical health. It can also provide insight into your thoughts and behaviors, which can help you identify patterns and make positive changes in your life. Additionally, journaling can serve as a creative outlet and a way to practice mindfulness.

Writing down your thoughts and feelings about a situation is the first step in understanding how best to proceed and help you understand your situation because it allows you to externalize and organize your thoughts. When you write things down, you can see them more clearly and objectively, which can help you gain a better perspective on your situation. It allows you to release pent-up emotions and reduce stress. Once you’ve calmed down a bit, you might find that your emotions are trying to tell you something.

When negative or worried thoughts arise, it’s easy to get caught up in their catastrophic stories. Jotting down your thoughts, however, “creates space and distance to consider them in a more objective way,” says Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, a clinical psychologist in New York City.

In other words, if your thoughts aren’t serving you, you don’t have to believe them. You have the freedom to believe or not believe your own thoughts, as they are simply products of your mind. However, it can be helpful to critically examine your thoughts and consider whether they align with reality and your values, rather than blindly accepting them as truth. Perhaps you can use journaling to see your thoughts as separate from you.

It also gives you the opportunity to process your emotions in a safe, contained space. Naming the specific emotions you’re experiencing and accepting them reduces their strength. That way, difficult emotions become less overwhelming and easier to manage.

Seeing your concerns, questions, and emotions in black and white gives you a clearer picture of your needs. Even a simple list of pros and cons can provide deeper insight into your desires — certainly more so than a jumble of thoughts knocking around in your head.

Why do we avoid journaling?

There could be various reasons why someone might avoid journaling, such as lack of time, difficulty in expressing thoughts and emotions, fear of judgment or vulnerability, or simply not finding it helpful or enjoyable. 

For one, it isn’t always pleasant. Cathartic is probably a better word. In fact, some research suggests that we can feel more anxious, sad, or guilty right after we write. Why do we feel anxious when journaling? It could be due to the fear of confronting uncomfortable emotions or memories, the pressure to write something meaningful, or the fear of being judged by others.

However, journaling can be a beneficial practice for improving mental health, self-reflection, and creativity. It's worth exploring different approaches or techniques to find a journaling style that works for you. It can be a helpful tool in managing anxiety and processing difficult emotions. It may take some time and practice to feel comfortable with journaling, but it can be a valuable outlet for self-expression and reflection.

In the long term, we can expect to cultivate a greater sense of meaning as well as better health. Various studies have found that people who do a bout of journaling have fewer doctor visits in the following half year, and reduced symptoms of chronic disease like asthma and arthritis.

References:

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_journaling_can_help_you_in_hard_times

https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-journaling#future-moves