The Connection Between Journaling and Mental Health
An exploration on the link between writing in a journal and better mental health.
Image by Free Photos from Pixabay
A new notebook holds a world of possibilities. Putting pen to paper opens us up to new worlds, just as reading does. We can write down our hopes, dreams, feelings, and thoughts. I have been an avid journaler since childhood. I have boxes and boxes of old journals.
I am not someone who easily expresses how she feels. Last week at a Bible study I teach, a woman shared that it’s easier for women to express their emotions than men. I opened up and admitted to the group that I am the exception. As a child, my mind repressed the memories of sexual abuse, causing dissociative amnesia. I tend to dissociate when I feel strong emotions like fear or sadness.
Dissociating leaves me unaware of the links between my feelings and eating. Every morning, I write a paragraph or two about what I am feel. Doing so helps me become aware of my emotions so I can stop myself from binging on sweets when I am overwhelmed by fear or sadness. It has been a few weeks since I binged.
I write much more in my journals than my feelings. I write down my thoughts about what I am reading. For example, I am reading Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr, a Catholic priest. When a sentence or two resonates, I jot it down and write about what it means. It helps me go deeper with the spiritual books I read.
When I go through hard times, I write down what I am learning emotionally and spiritually. For the past two and a half months, I have been sick. I have had a respiratory infection and a sinus infection that required two rounds of antibiotics. I have had a virus that left a lingering cough and still affects my breathing. I have written much about what this extended illness has taught me.
How Journaling Benefits Your Mental Health
Studies link both positive affect journaling and gratitude journaling to better mental health. With positive affect journaling, you focus on the positive aspects of life experiences. In one study, researchers asked college students to write down transitions during the start of the covid pandemic and use positive affect journaling, in which they wrote down positive changes. The participants in the positive affect journaling had more positive emotions.
Another study of positive affect journaling looked at 70 adults with various medical conditions and anxiety. The group that completed 15-minute web-based positive affect journaling sessions three days each week for 12 weeks had less mental distress and better well-being.
Researchers looked at the effects of gratitude journaling on first-year college students. The 21 students who participated had high scores on the perceived stress scale and low on the university life scale. The students in the experimental group kept a gratitude journal for three weeks, and they had “significantly higher post-test scores on gratitude, adjustment to university life, life satisfaction, and positive affect.”
Journal prompts for better mental health
Whether you are new to journaling or you are an old hat at journaling who needs new ideas, the journal prompts I created can help you. Try one of the prompts for a week and then move on to the next one. Take note of how you feel after each week.
4 journal prompts
Every morning after waking up, ask yourself, “How do I feel?” Write at least one or two sentences on what you feel. Here is an example from my journal last week: I feel overwhelmed that I am still sick.
What am I thankful for? Here is something I wrote last week: What am I grateful for during this time of sickness? Antibiotics, Ricola cough drops, Maizie (my cat). But most importantly the spiritual and emotional growth I am experiencing. I don’t like my circumstances, but I like the growth.
What are the opportunities for growth from negative events in my life? Two weeks ago, I wrote down: One of the lessons I am learning is that I am a follower of Christ and that means I follow Him no matter what. When I am sick for over two months, I keep following Him.
If you are an avid reader, grab your journal as you read, and if anything stands out, write it down along with why it resonates with you. While reading the book, Girl Meets Change by Kristen Strong, I wrote down the quote, “We can actually thrive through change because of the limitations themselves, not just in spite of them.” I then wrote: This time of illness is the reason that I am experiencing breakthroughs. The reason is that it forces me to face my false self and dismantle her so my true self can take over.
Your journal as a trauma recovery tool
You don’t have to be a writer to keep a journal. No one will see it unless you want them to read it. A journal can help you know what you feel, find the spiritual lessons from life experiences, and feel grateful. And journaling is a great tool for trauma recovery. Trauma often causes PTSD, depression, and anxiety. A meta-analysis of managing mental illness found that “journaling intervention resulted in a greater reduction in scores on patient health measures.”
Do you journal? Drop a comment and let me know about your journaling experiences.
Resources
Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer by Richard Rohr
The premise of this book is that we can’t really know who we are except in God. I highly recommend everyone read it for it’s that good.
Girl Meets Change: Truths to Carry You through Life's Transitions by Kristen Strong
The author, whose husband was in the military for 22 years, explores the truths she has learned about change. If you are experiencing changes, this is a must-read book.
If you have questions or need a word of encouragement, email me at thepossiblepath@gmail.com.
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Keeping you in prayer dear Gina, Thank you for reminding me the importance of journaling. I will begin again. Love you <3
I'm happy you're feeling better Gina! I had a nasty upper respiratory bug in the fall and it took nearly 3 months to resolve so I can relate :)
I'm a big believer in journaling also. Years ago - back in the 90s - when I just started down the healing path and was still married to an addict, my therapist told me that I could journal on paper and then if I was worried he would find it, I could put it in a tin and burn it. She suggested that in burning the paper that had my pain on it, I was giving it to God. It was great advice then and it's great advice now!
Prompts 1 & 2 combined - I feel hopeful because I am witnessing a shift away from the old world and into a different one, and I am grateful to be here to witness it.
Prompt 3 - I write about that all the time!
Prompt 4 - Thank you Gina! I've never seen this before but I've been doing it for years and years. It's how I learn. I discuss what I'm reading with myself (and God) on the page. It's kind of a meditation for me too. Often, I get big aha moments - little miracles - and that helps me take another step!