Journaling is known to be one of the oldest forms of self-help. At a time, when stress levels continue to be on a constant high and urban lonelinessis on the rise, Aruna Rathod suggests why penning down your thoughts can be a great way to rediscover yourself and streamline your life.
Are you someone who has constant conversations with yourself? Do you find yourself asking yourself why you have been feeling particularly low after a long day, and get no answers in particular? Do you often feel the urge to pour your heart out to someone, but have no one in particularyou can talk to?
Well, turn to your diary, and start penning down your thoughts. An oft-neglected way, particularly in today’s times, journal writing can be a great way to destress, and ensure your mental health is in top form. If you don’t like the conventional pen and paper mode,and are more comfortable punching in the keys of your laptop, go ahead. The idea is to get it all out. The only golden rule you need to keep in mind is to never delete or tear away anything you write, so you can go back to it later. Journaling has been proven to be a great way of self-analysis, something that will help you learn a lot about, and get help too.
So, how exactly does journaling help?
“Journaling in nothing put penning down your thoughts and ideas. It can be either professional or personal in nature. In fact, journaling is said to be very beneficial to refine the thoughts and gain more clarity,” explains DrKurien S. Thomas, Counselling Psychologist and Life Coach, Effective Living Inc.
An outlet for introverts:Giving a psychological perspective, Dr ShefaliBatra, Psychiatrist and Cognitive Therapist, Mindframes, explains that journaling is a great option for those who are shy and uncomfortable to talk. “Writing, especially, about a difficult event is a lot easier. Our life is about our behaviour and the way we feel is impacted by what we think. When we journal, we list out our thoughts and the emotions associated with it, this reduces the stress and has a cathartic effect.” Writing helps to act as a vent, we tend to accept a situation better and come to terms with it. When we write about the events that have happened we reduce the intensity of the emotions that we feel because of the event, and this acts like therapy.
Puts things in perspective:It also helps us put things in perspective. “Usually our mind rambles when we talk to ourselves but when we start penning it down, thoughts begin to streamline and the focus improves. Thus, it makes things more objective and easier to prioritize and find solutions,” states Clinical Psychologist Saloni Sawnani. Very often the human mind tends to remember only the negative, which is why it is important to journal the positive and reflect back on it. Sawnani advises, “A word of caution here is that while journaling the negative need not be over emphasised or reflected upon often as that would create more negativity and lack of self belief.”
Coping with stress: For those facing stressful situations at work, day-to-day journaling can help identify goals and execute them in time. “Journaling helps in prioritizing and mange anxiety, reduces stress to a certain extent and self-motivates to some extent, helps to think and communicate much better,” says Dr Kurien. Expressive writing also helps in elevating our mood.
Objectivity is key: Another major advantage is that in emotional issues, the real trouble is we become subjective, when you journal you become objective. “Once we write, we realise what exactly happened and that is insightful, and calls for self-reflection which is therapeutic,” adds Dr Batra. “When we zoom out, we focus on it like a story that happened to you which helps us prioritize our concerns and make a change.”
Use your journal as a self-help guide
After journaling, we must review the writing and learn to identify triggers. “It’s like a form of cognitive therapy where you identify a particular event which is leading to a particular emotion rooted in a particular belief that arouses a kind of behaviour,” explains Dr Batra. She advises that one must note down events that have occurred and the emotional reaction you had to them. What were you thinking when you had that reaction and change the way you think next time. This helps in changing our response.
Get started
There is no specific rule in journaling. Dr Thomas advises, “Pen down every day, in the way you feel it’s right and you will soon find methods to journal easily and efficiently. Journaling helps in relaxing, de-stressing and allowing clarity in thoughts.”
Setting time aside on a daily basis for journaling also helps create self discipline which is beneficial. It also gives us an opportunity to find and cherish the good in everyday that is very important to help create a positive outlook and approach to life. “It is also a record of how we are evolving as a person and can be used to inspire ourselves and reviewing our successes,” adds Sawnani.
Since you are writing for yourself, there is no stress on language, grammar or tense. It’s the best way to feel free and discover yourself. And the added bonus, if you enjoy it, is you could be a writer too!
