Why Journaling and Mental Health Goes Hand-in-hand

Despite the invasion of technology in our lives in this day and age, the popularity and practice of journaling still remain strong and popular as ever. The history of journaling is as old as human civilization; in fact, the ancient cave paintings that we read about in history books as kids are the first recorded attempts at journaling by humans. Despite the general notion that journaling is a quaint and outdated practice only kept alive by nerds, journaling has a lot more benefits to it than it looks like.

Many studies have been carried out over the years about the correlation between mental health and journaling by medical experts all around the world, and all of the results indicate the positive impacts journal writing has on mental health. To cite from Krpan, Kross, Berman, Deldin, Askren, &Jonides’ medical paper An Everyday Activity As A Treatment For Depression: The Benefits Of Expressive Writing For People Diagnosed With Major Depressive Disorder from 2006,

“In general, people diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder reported significantly lower depression scores after three days of expressive writing, 20 minutes per day.”

And that’s just scratching the surface of the numerous official studies carried out over the years. Since most of us don’t have the time and energy to go through all the technical medical stuff, here’s a more down to earth condensation of the reasons as to why journaling is good for your mental health. Just keep reading, who knows, you might end up deciding to start making time for journaling in your busy life once you know all the practical benefits this age-old method of written therapy.

Why journaling is good for your mental health

On the outset journaling has some pretty decent benefits like boosting your mood, increasing your confidence level, preventing depression as well as boosting one’s memory. But other than these benefits, journaling has some more subtle and nuanced benefits as a form of therapy for common negative mental states such as anxiety, depression, and stress. You can definitely ask how writing down a few simple words can be an effective form of therapy, but you might be surprised at the facts you come across if you consult with a proper medical professional about it! In the beginning, things will seem a bit difficult as there is a chance that you’ll find yourself at a loss for words if you don’t have the habit of reading or writing. Journaling helps you to subconsciously program yourself in a positive manner by empowering yourself with words that promote gratitude, inner peace as well as self-analysis. Once you start journaling, you’ll find that you’re starting the see the bigger picture of things in life which will spur you to be the best version of yourself. You can start by surrounding yourself with positive affirmation cards which can help you find your words.

Journaling and mental health

Let’s give you the basic rundown of as to how journaling can positively impact your mental health and help you overcome these mental barriers that hold most women back from reaching their full potential.

Journaling and Depression Management

Managing depression through writing a journal is something most therapists and psychiatrists suggest to their female patients at the very beginning of the counseling session. Here are the reasons why:

• Journaling can significantly reduce symptoms of depression among women suffering from domestic abuse from their partner or family. (The effects of expressive writing on pain, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in survivors of intimate partner violence– Koopman, Ismailji, Holmes, Classen, Palesh, & Wales, 2005).
• Journal writing can also effectively act as double for CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) among adolescent women.
• While journaling doesn’t stop you from having depressive thoughts, it can effectively reduce their impact on your mind.
• It can be really helpful in handling factors causing depression in career and academics.

Journaling and Anxiety

If you’re wondering how journaling can help you fight anxiety, here are some of the ways it helps:

• Writing journals can help you calm down and clear up your mind when you get anxious.
• It can help you release the pent-up feeling that’s causing your anxiety by putting it down in words.
• Jotting down the thoughts that cause anxiety is an excellent way of letting go of them.
• Helps you analyze and understand the experiences that cause you anxiety.
• Helps you identify the triggers that cause you anxiety from your surroundings and the people you interact with.
• Helps you keep a visible progress report for yourself if you’re undergoing therapy or counseling.
• Helps to effectively eliminate psychosomatic symptoms (physical symptoms triggered by the mind when it’s under continuous stress and anxiety).

Journaling and Stress Management

While anxiety and depression are commonplace mental health problems that affect millions of women all over the world every day, an even greater number of women are affected by stress. The factors attributing stress are faced by women more often on a regular basis starting from socialization to career. The following ways are just a few examples of how journaling helps in stress management:

• Journaling helps to relieve stress by giving physical form to the thoughts that are bothering you.
• Helps to improve cognitive functions blunted by constant stress.
• As mentioned before, it also helps in managing and preventing the psychosomatic aspects of stress.

Aside from the above mention ways in which journaling helps in specific mental health problems, it also has some common psychological and surprisingly, psychological benefits as well. Some of the common psychological benefits of journaling include:

• Helps you to improve your creativity levels by constantly interacting with your thoughts in a focused manner which you wouldn’t do otherwise.
• Helps you set up your long- and short-term goals in life.
• Helps you in prioritizing what’s necessary and what’s unnecessary in your life.
• Helps you to identify and improve your behavioral and thinking patterns.
• Helps you to learn how to empathize with people that are outside your sphere of life.
• Helps you to discover yourself ad the things that you want in life.