13 Jun Dear Diary
When I was a young teen, I kept a diary. It was all about the cute boys in the neighborhood. This sounds really fundamental for health and healing, right? But actually, journaling is great for mental health and stress relieving.
So what seemed like a frivolous activity, or an obsession with the opposite sex, was really an outlet for my thoughts and feelings. Notice I said outlet. So much of stress management is getting your feelings out of yourself.
You could bottle up all your feelings inside. Most of us do that all the time. If you’re at the office, and you have a disagreement with a superior, you suck it up and move on. So where did those unpleasant feelings go? You stuffed them inside somewhere.
And those stuffed feelings will come back one day and ruin your health. Stress is a huge driver of disease.
Words have power. When you put words to your thoughts and feelings, you are taking the emotion out of you, and then putting it on paper. Notice how you feel emotions when you read a novel. The emotions are buried in the words on a page.
When you name an emotion you take power over it. When you stuff it inside, it has power over you.
So if you want to give journaling a try, there are different types. One isn’t better than another necessarily; you just pick the type that works for you. And there’s no perfect amount of time to spend journaling. A few minutes can make a difference. Journaling everyday could be beneficial, but not if that causes more stress to never miss a day. So it’s probably better to commit to journaling when you can, for as long as you want.
Journal types
To do list. To stop yourself from ruminating about what you have to do tomorrow, you put it on paper and out of your mind. Then you can relax and get some sleep.
Gratitude journal. Probably my favorite. When you are experiencing gratitude, there’s no room for another emotion, like worry, anger, disappointment, ill will, or whatever. Very calming.
Lists of words. This is like word association or brainstorming. Write a word that pops into your mind, and then the next word it makes you think of, and so on. You may be surprised where the words lead you. You may uncover hidden stressors.
Stream of consciousness. Just start writing. You might start with something that happened that day, to how you feel about it, to another event that reminds you of, and so on. Again, you may uncover hidden stressors and get them out of your mind and on to paper.
Drawings. This is a non-word journal but it’s still very powerful. You basically doodle. You’re putting thoughts and feelings into drawings.
Q and A. Write down a question, like why do I always get so mad at my family member. And then write an answer. It doesn’t have to be the “right” answer, you’re just putting your impressions on paper. Then write a follow up question, and the answer to that. Keep going.
Dream journal. Write down your dreams in the morning. Then write down what they might mean or what they remind you of.
Prayer journal. Send your thoughts to your higher power or the universe. Ask, thank, or confide.
Food and mood. List what you eat and how you feel afterwards. This is helpful for discovering food sensitivities and what foods are best for you. But it also helps you address your feelings..
Symptoms. Same as above but focused on symptoms. Most helpful if you look for connections between events and emotions with the symptoms you have.
Sleep and/or exercise. You can note sleep quality and/or exercise type and duration. This helps you track what works and what doesn’t, and how it affects you. Even better if you note effects on mood.
Affirmations. Write lots of “I am” statements, like “I am at peace” or “I am good”. They should be positive. They should be qualities you want to have, even if you don’t quite manifest them yet. Your brain is listening to what you write, and will start to make it come true.
Stress is at the root of so much disease. And stress can also be at the root of weight gain, or failure to lose weight. That could be a great motivator for you to take time to de-stress. I’m a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach. I have plenty more tricks up my sleeve to help you de-stress. Plus I have tricks to optimize your health. I’ll listen to you and I’ll ask you questions. I’ll help you decide what works for you. You won’t have to buy products or take supplements. Just show up and be ready to start gaining health. Contact me for a free intro phone call.
Comments. Do you journal?
Huffpost Benefits of Journaling
Verywell Mind Journaling for Stress Management
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