When you have a keyboard at your fingertips, it’s so easy to mindlessly shoot out a message. While that’s great for convenience, there’s something special about taking the time to thoughtfully write things out.
That’s why journaling has remained in style for so long. It not only allows you to document your day, it’s also a simple and free way to release thoughts and fears.
It’s a therapeutic method that’s been around for centuries for a reason. It works!
Take back control
To many, therapeutic journaling is an essential part of processing events and emotions as they come up in life!
In a journal you’re able to vent everything on your mind, so nothing festers and small things don’t turn into long-term traumas.
However, you’re also able to approach your feelings at your own pace. You don’t have to feel pressured or judged about how you write or what you need to get off your chest..
That safe space lets you focus on what is most important for you to deal with.
Facilitate self-reflection
Typing is fast. You can get out hundreds of words in minutes and if you add in word predictor technology, the process is even faster.
Writing by hand is a slower process. Since you have to slow down to get your words out, you’re also forced to truly think about what you want to say. You can’t suppress or gloss over anything.
Thus, it’s much easier to see the threads that tie together the events in your life and how they affect your mental health.
This self-reflection doesn’t just happen while you’re writing, either.
Rereading your own writing is a personal experience, even more so if you’re reading your handwriting. You’ll find yourself reliving moments, both good and bad, and seeing how they connect over time.
You can even start to recognize patterns that could have gone unnoticed for years!
Self-reflection is a key part of improved mental health, and journaling is one of the most important tools you have in your arsenal to do just that.
Find the resources that work for you
Though nothing quite compares to physically filling in a notebook with your thoughts, there are times when that might not work for you.
If you’re unable to read your writing, for example, you won’t be able to fully self-reflect on past entries!
You may also find it helpful to vent about things as soon as they happen. You always have your phone with you, you might not have a pen or piece of paper.
Having an online journal is better than not having a journal at all.
However, a simple Google doc is so cold and impersonal, isn’t it?
Online journals, instead, are designed to give you a safe place to unburden yourself without judgment, similar to what you’d get from a traditional journal!
Vent out your thoughts at https://www.metomyself.com/ and start feeling the benefits of this free form of therapy.
Photo supplied by Sheridan Song
Comments