What is journaling and how can it help?
June 17, 2022
Journaling can be a beneficial technique to assist you in prioritising problems or concerns, recognising positives and achievements or tracking day-to-day mood in order to better identify triggers.
A journal entry does not have to be made each day, but should be done fairly regularly.
An entry should include information such as progress you’ve made towards goals, evidence for or against your self-beliefs, pros and cons if you have a difficult decision to make and one or two good things that happened during the day/week. These could be the smallest things, from a pleasant interaction with an individual when you were shopping, anything that made you feel good.
A huge part of journaling is that it allows you to view this information from a more neutral perspective. Patterns and links are often much easier to see when you write things down and read them back.
Try not to use loose paper, if you prefer to keep a journal in digital format this is also fine, but many people find that purchasing a “slightly nicer than usual” notebook that really appeals to you or grabs your attention is a good way to go.
Try to view journaling as part of your personal or relaxation time. It aids in destressing and writing in a relaxed environment can be very therapeutic for many individuals.
One thing to note, is that a journal should not be used to focus on negative emotions or for reliving upsetting events. Instead its purpose is to aid you in processing the meaning of those events and your responses to them.
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