Benefits of Journaling
Journaling is an incredibly beneficial self-care technique, which doesn’t just enhance feelings of happiness, but reduces stress, clarifies thoughts and feelings, and ultimately helps you get to know yourself better. Jasmin Terrany, a licensed mental health counselor, summed it up best: “When you write, you are pausing your life from all other activities and taking the time to look within. It can be a very powerful tool to help you understand what is going on inside you.”
The journaling process can look different from person to person. It can take some time to find the right routine for you, but what matters most is that you are allotting time for delving into your mind and uncovering important thoughts and feeling.
Dig deeper into key points or themes. Ask yourself questions like: How long have I been feeling this way? When did it start? How does it make me feel?
Notice compounded feelings (the interaction of thought, emotion and physical health) and try to uncover initial feelings (the emotions expressed first). Make yourself look into questions like: What am I feeling beneath the anger?
Try to understand where the feelings come from. Are there any past experiences that have triggered a similar feeling? Where do you think it comes from?
Notice the frequency with which you experience the same feelings, and look into how often you experience negative feelings.
Acknowledge and analyze self-criticism. When you notice you are being critical of yourself, you can realize you are quite hard on yourself. Any idea why that may be?
Empower yourself. Your go-to might be to self-criticize, but you should instead try to work on using empowering statements such as “I want to…” or next time I will.…”
Create a dialogue with difficult feelings. Oftentimes, we attempt to avoid negative or difficult feelings, but the trick to healing is facing them head on. Speak directly to those feelings: What do they want or need from you? Learn to listen to and take care of them.
The point of journaling is to not only express your emotions but better understand them. The goal is to enjoy the journey of accepting and uncovering the origins and complexities of these feelings. Make it a lovingly curious quest for understanding and self-acceptance. When you realize you will never finish discovering yourself, you can enjoy the challenge for the rest of your life.
Discover how by joining our new Zoom journaling class on the first and third Wednesday of every month. Instructor Robyn Butcher-Whitla is an artist, illustrator, teacher, tutor, and life coach. First class begins Wednesday, March 3 at 12pm.
Resources:
“How Can Journaling Help Me? Tips for Keeping a Self-Care Journal,” Taylor Bennett, Thriveworks, May 1, 2018
“5 Ways a Journal Can Help with Self-Care,” Isabelle Khoo, Huffington Post Canada, April 4, 2017
“Seven Alternative Ways to Journal If You Hate Writing,” www.heart.co.uk, lifestyle, November 26, 2018, updated January 16, 2019
