How journaling can help your wellbeing

1. When and why did you start journaling?

I started journaling during the lockdown over the recent pandemic. A lot was going on in the world and the media was often very negative and overwhelming. I felt as if I needed a way to manage and organise my thoughts. So, I started physically writing down my thoughts in a notebook and just by putting them down on paper I felt a bit of a weight lifted off me. I started to see how my worries linked to each other and where they were rooted from. Then, I started journaling in this way every time I felt overloaded with thoughts.

It is so important to express and process your thoughts, whether this is through therapy sessions, peer to peer support groups or speaking with family or friends. Journaling can be another way of doing this and it is a useful tool to have when you might not be able to speak to others. Journaling can be personal and unique to yourself in this way. 

2. What do you write about?

Since I now try to journal every day, I write about so many different topics and thoughts that come to me. Sometimes it may just be noting down my worries of the day ahead or it might be writing down how something in the news has affected me. There are many websites and apps that provide journal prompts if you are a bit lost or do not know where to start. However, to keep it simple, you might just ask yourself and write down:

What are you worried about?
What can you do to control or ease these worries?
What are your hopes for the day/week/month ahead?
What is one act of self-care you like to do and when will you next do it?

It may take a bit of experimenting until you know what works for you and what you want to journal about. Recently, I have enjoyed journaling about positive memories I hold with friends and family. Sometimes I forget about certain happy memories in my life, and I like to keep them alive by journaling about them and reading them over. Journaling does not always have to be about thoughts, it may be just about writing about events in your life and processing them. It is really what you want it to be and what you make it!

3. Do you journal every day?

Now I have been journaling for about two years, I have ingrained it into my morning routine which means I try and journal everyday even if it is just for five minutes. However, I never put pressure on myself to do this as life can get in the way and sometimes, I may just not have the time.

Some people like to journal at night, some in the morning and others just do it when it feels right. It is up to you, and it may take some experimenting as I mentioned before. It is also important to note that I like to journal about both positive and negative thoughts and experiences. As we are all human with a huge array of emotions, we can experience, I like to remind myself that it is normal to not always feel happy or sad and I like to reflect this in my journaling. Moreover, you may journal in a way in which you intend to read it back or you may write with no intention of reading it back. It is up to you and that is what makes it a great, personalised tool. 

4. What benefits has journaling had on your wellbeing?

Journaling has had many benefits for my wellbeing, it has made me feel more aware of my feelings and current mental health state. It has helped me understand myself more and reflect on past experiences, I now know why I may act or think in a certain way.  It has also made me feel more calm and ready for each day (as I do it in the morning) and this really helps me feel organised and content with my thoughts. Even knowing I can journal about a feeling lets me feel less scared about experiencing negative emotions. 

Lastly, the process of writing something down on paper has brought me much joy as I have missed doing this from working on a laptop most of the time. In a way, I find handwriting therapeutic, and this improves my wellbeing.