A 2018 research study found that people who journaled had a reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety. The Psychology Behind Journaling Study findings suggest that accepting our feelings is linked to better psychological health and positive therapeutic outcomes, including improved moods and reduced anxiety, the study said. It added that journaling can also help with anxiety.
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Is journaling the same as therapy?
Writing in a diary or journal may focus on recording events as they occur, while writing therapy is often focused on more meta-analytical processes: thinking about, interacting with, and analyzing the events, thoughts, and feelings that the writer writes down. Many mental health experts recommend journaling because it can improve your mood and manage symptoms of depression. Studies support this and suggest journaling is good for your mental health. It may also make therapy work better. Can journaling help with anxiety? The answer is yes. A 2018 research study found that people who journaled had a reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety. That’s because the process of writing can release pent-up feelings and negative thoughts, which helps to quiet the mind. The Psychology Behind Journaling Study findings suggest that accepting our feelings is linked to better psychological health and positive therapeutic outcomes, including improved moods and reduced anxiety. And this is where journaling can help. Enhance Your Intelligence Writing has long been connected with the ability to increase your own intelligence and even to improve your IQ. By writing through a journal, you’re actively stimulating your brain, putting thoughts into written form and expanding your vocabulary. Examples of CBT homework include: Journaling: This includes writing about negative emotions to better process them and identify any thought patterns.
Can journalling replace therapy?
While a journal cannot replace a therapist, it can be therapeutic. What a journal can do is help you to notice patterns in your behaviour and emotional responses. It’s an opportunity to reflect on your experiences, feelings, thoughts and behaviour. Journaling is one self-care method counselors can recommend to their clients. Clients can use this tool on their own and incorporate these entries into a therapy session. Counselors refer to journaling in therapy as writing therapy, journal therapy or expressive art therapy. Meditation is a common form to switch off and relax your mind, however journaling offers its own unique benefits also. Meditation may help empty the mind of concerns and bring positive outlooks, but journaling helps us flow through a state of unconscious to release built up patterns, fears and then let them go. For those of us who value creativity and personal expression, keeping an art journal might be a fun way to document your DBT skills and daily mindfulness practice. Part of why journaling is so hard is that it requires time. When we’re busy, it’s hard to spend much time sitting, quietly, writing our thoughts on paper. It’s important to think about what makes journaling fulfilling for you and how you can use journaling as a tool in your daily life to reduce stress, not add to it.