This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at DCU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
Even though I’ve been keeping a journal for almost four years, as someone who struggles with anxiety and the need to control more than I probably should, I often find myself asking: Does journaling actually work?
Essentially, journaling is the practice of writing down your thoughts, feelings, experiences or reflections – but there is no particular way of doing it. You can write about your day, make lists, express gratitude, explore a difficult feeling, or simply write whatever comes to mind. There are no rules and I think that is part of what makes it so useful.
When we experience an emotion that makes us uncomfortable, particularly one we don’t understand, our brains often try to make sense of it as quickly as possible. We label it or try to find an explanation for why we feel the way we do. Sometimes this is helpful, but sometimes it means we never actually allow ourselves to experience the feeling underneath the explanation.
Writing can create enough space to get beneath that initial reaction, as putting something onto paper can slow down the constant stream of thoughts in your head and allow you to notice what is actually happening. To give an example, you might begin writing because you are angry and realise halfway through that underneath the anger you are actually hurt, scared or disappointed.
For me, journaling has also been one of the places where I feel least like I have to perform. There is no one reading, judging or expecting anything from me. I don’t have to make my thoughts sound rational, interesting or even coherent. I can simply be honest. Although this sounds like such an obvious thing to do, being completely honest with yourself can be surprisingly difficult.
Some of us struggle with vulnerability even when it comes to ourselves. We might find it easier to explain how we feel to another person than to admit it privately. Therefore, journaling can become a way of slowly getting to know yourself and the more honestly you write, the more you begin to recognise your own patterns, needs and reactions. In turn, I think this can affect how we understand and relate to other people while also building a stronger sense of self-confidence.
However, I don’t think journaling is automatically healthy just because it involves self-reflection. It is also possible to develop an unhealthy relationship with writing, particularly if we use it to avoid actually experiencing what we feel.
I experienced this myself. At one point, I was writing a lot and my mood depended a lot on how much control I thought writing was giving me. It may sound confusing but what was happening was that I wasn’t necessarily processing anything. I could analyse a feeling from every possible angle, explain where it came from and find a logical reason for why it felt that way without actually sitting with the feeling itself. In psychology, this is known as rationalisation: using explanations and reasoning to distance ourselves from an uncomfortable emotional experience.
Writing can help us process but sometimes the processing has to happen after we close the notebook.
Now, I try to leave space between writing and analysing. After I write something difficult, I might simply sit with it for a while or even take pauses as I write. I might feel sad, confused or uncomfortable without immediately trying to solve it. And sometimes, I don’t write at all.
There are days when I open my journal and realise I have no idea how I feel. And that is okay too. I don’t think we should force ourselves to produce an answer just because we have a notebook in front of us. Listening to your body and recognizing when you need to stop can be just as valuable as writing another page.
Ultimately, I don’t think journaling is about finding the perfect method or writing every single day. For me, it works best when it is something I have added to my life rather than something that runs it.
So, if you’re someone who wants to start journaling, don’t ask yourself, “Does journaling actually work?” Instead, find a way of journaling that works for you. Whether that means writing every day, keeping a physical journal, or even throwing the pages away once you’re done, there is no right or wrong way to do it.
If it helps you become more honest with yourself, understand your emotions and make space for what you are experiencing, journaling can be incredibly valuable. Sometimes, the most important thing you can do after writing everything down is put the pen away and simply feel.