Let’s know more about journaling

Dr. Rijusmita Sarma

(The writer is a counselling psychologist. Can be reached at 8638716076

Journaling is the activity of keeping records or notes of one’s feelings, thoughts, insights, experiences, and more. It has been found to be a helpful tool in taking care of our mental health, especially in times of distress. It is a practice that can be resorted to at any place and any time. Your diary or gadget will always listen to you.

There are different types of journaling, such as:

 Expressive writing: In this form of journaling, we can write about our profound thoughts and feelings related to an experience. It is a more intimate and emotional style of journaling as compared to the other types.

 Free-form journaling: In this type, we write about whatever is on our minds, irrespective of how they feel or what they mean to us. One form of free-form journaling is ‘Morning Pages’ which is a more regimented form involving handwriting three pages of thoughts as the first thing in the morning.

 Best possible self-journaling: This form focuses on the future. Here we can write about our goals and what the best outcomes could be. This form of writing helps to rekindle optimism and hope.

 Bullet journaling: It can be considered a planner,to-do list, habit tracker, monitor of spending habits, etc.

How can journaling be helpful?

Journaling can be helpful in many ways. Some of them are:

 It helps manage anxiety and stress. Research suggests that journaling can be an effective way of reducing distress. In a study, it was found that people suffering from anxiety and depression who wrote online for 15 minutes three days a week over a period of 12 weeks had decreased levels of distress and fewer symptoms of depression after one month. Their mental well-being continued to improve during the 12 weeks of journaling.

 It helps develop insight: Writing down our thoughts about a situation helps us understand it better, which may in turn help us develop different perspectives about it.

 It encourages opening up: Opening up and expressing ourselves can be difficult at times, but writing about a stressful event in private can make it easier. And expressing our feelings can lead to emotional healing.

 It helps regulate emotions: Studies suggest that brain scans of people who wrote about their thoughts and emotions were able to manage their emotions better than those who wrote about a neutral experience. This study also suggests that writing about feelings in an abstract way is more calming than writing vividly.

Journaling can be a way of self-discovery. At an age when we rarely have the time to take a pause, journaling can be a way of taking time to look within. Also, we all must have experienced at some point in time that we wanted to but did not find anyone to pour our hearts out at that particular time of emotional overwhelm. In such times, your diary or your gadget can be a confidante.