Do you remember that secret diary you had when you were little? In those pages, you wrote every feeling that you experienced― not just because it was a trend, but because it felt relieving to jot down all of your thoughts and concerns on paper.
Most of us put away that old notebook in the darkest corners of our closets many years ago, but… why? If it felt soothing to write everything down, why did we just stop?
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, we were forced to stay in our houses; and I found myself in need of clearing my mind of all the thoughts, anxiety, and stress that I was feeling. And guess what? I took the first notebook I saw and began writing again.
Here are five benefits that I discovered through journaling that helped improve my mental health:
- It clears out our thoughts
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How many times have you found yourself trying to keep up with everything, but your mind won’t cooperate? In those cases, taking a pen and paper to write your thoughts down can help to clear our minds of any mental clutter.
Just let the pen run over the paper and write anything that comes to mind. It doesn’t matter if what you’re writing doesn’t make sense at the moment. The point is to open your mind and let the words flow. You can start writing about how you’re feeling at that given moment, even if you are just dying for a brownie ice cream.
- It’s a self encounter
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Sometimes, we are incapable of verbalizing our emotions, even if there’s no one around. Some situations are harder to recognize, but through such an intimate process like writing, it’s easier to accept them.
Through writing, we can have an intimate encounter with ourselves and discover aspects about us we didn’t know before. With journaling, there is only you, the pen, and the paper― nobody else.
- It’s an act of healing
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Writing has the power to help us forgive ourselves and let go of things that cause us pain. From the internal battle with your body to the impossible love that has been haunting your mind for months, there aren’t enough words to describe the feeling of letting go of thoughts that you don’t want in your mind. You just feel free.
- It helps us to validate our feelings
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Often, our emotions can be questioned by many people in our circle, making us doubt ourselves. Writing about our feelings and how they manifest on a daily basis helps us to understand and validate them, even when other people don’t. Recognizing and validating every feeling is a great satisfaction; and writing about them, even more so.
- It improves our handwriting
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I use a physical notebook as a journal, like my old childhood diary, and that helped me improve my handwriting. In the digital era, when documents and messages are all typed, and most people have lost sight of practicing their calligraphy, handwriting makes the art of journaling even more special.
Feeling the pen running over the pages, and the pauses we take to breathe after writing a meaningful sentence just hits differently.
When it comes to journaling, rules don’t apply, so feel free to write anything about everything! There are techniques, such as writing prompts, that you could use to improve a specific skill, but that’s another conversation. As long as you enjoy what you’re doing and it works for you, there’s no need to change your process.
Let’s go back to the basics and continue the old habit of keeping a diary. In times where our mental health is more important than ever, having a tool to help us keep track of what is happening in our lives as a means of improving it is a blessing we owe to ourselves.