Writing to heal from depression, anxiety, and other debilitating conditions allows for more clarity of mind and a reduction of negative thoughts and emotional distress from stressful events. It also helps tremendously in improving physical health and mental well-being. Since using a diary is personal and private, it is a safe environment to reveal the genuine emotions that you experience in your daily life.
Journaling Practice For Personal Growth Through Journaling
If you’re facing trauma, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, or other mental health problems, you don’t have to worry about anything since you’re the only one who has access to your diary. It can be done any time you want to start paying attention.
Try this quick example if writing the first word is hard for you in a sense. Revisit a dark battle at some point in your life. For instance, an argument with loved ones, a person you were in a romantic relationship with, your body, your emotions, your weaknesses, your complaints, your bad behaviors, or anything you’re struggling to get past. Identify what you are feeling as you imagine it in your head. Use it as a prompt. Write a letter to your past self.
Amazing Benefits Of Writing To Heal And Improve Overall Well-Being
Journaling exercises are one of the most effective self-care techniques out there. Studies even revealed that it is a powerful tool or one of the common mental techniques that improve depression, reduce pain, and lower inflammation markers; which are some famous people with depression use this method. For enthusiasts like you, it’s pretty easy to do this and make it a new aspect of your habits.
Most people do not know how to start writing ideas in a week. They’re not even aware of what kinds of techniques to try to maximize their value and effects. In this article, we’ll discuss writing for mental health. What activities are best to improve one’s thoughts and feelings? And is it truly effective and helpful to do daily writing for self-reflection and to prevent anxious thoughts from getting stuck in your head in the future?
Techniques To Improve One’s Mind And Heart
Write About Your Daily Life Activities, Deepest Thoughts, And Negative And Positive Experiences
Journaling exercises are likened to writing diaries. You can just have to talk about your day, any self-discovery, how it went, things you did, new insights, perhaps racing thoughts, what made you smile, what made you sad, and other significant events. You can even make it a kind of gratitude journal and write the things that you feel grateful about, sort of a gratitude list.
At the start, you might find it too corny or too usual for your taste. However, as you go through the process, you’ll discover how effective it is. It’s as if you’re dumping all the baggage that you have with the help of a pen and paper. Once you have cleared all of these, your mental health will significantly improve – through a couple of writing techniques.
Perhaps you can try writing about someone you care about and how you feel about him or her. This helps you improve the way you express your thoughts and emotions. If you’re feeling down today, write about it – why does it make you feel this way, and how can you possibly get rid of this feeling even just for today?
Create A Letter From Your Fears, Worries, And Stress
Write a letter from your fears. This exercise is no doubt a powerful act. It’s very simple and straightforward. All you have to do is to start with the phrase below,
“Dear self, I am your fear, <insert your exact fear>, and these are everything I want to talk to you about…”
If your fear revolves around the idea of abandonment, then talk about it. Imagine that the act of abandonment is talking to you. Here, you may reveal its realities, how you want to address this fear, and the possible effects if you get too consumed with this fear.
Once you finish journaling, let yourself read it out loud. Some might be a little too hesitant to do this.
Given that they have already poured their hearts out by writing this letter, people are afraid to expose too much vulnerability. However, reading it out loud, even without an audience, will solidify its message more. You’ll feel an impact upon reading it.
Learn To Explore Your Safe Space And Be Comfortable With It
Another way to better your mental health and cleanse your stress while dealing with the anxiety of freelance journalists is to explore your safe place. Keep in mind that it does not have to be a real physical place. You may come up with your imaginary place and describe what it is by using expressive words. Make sure to create a written detailed description of your safe place with the help of your senses.
With the rise of social media, citizen journalism continues to soar as many people are seizing the opportunity to spread news, awareness, and other valuable information to the public, and despite the anxiety of freelance journalists experience. Do not just focus on what you see, but touch your other senses as well. You may incorporate various facets, such as taste, smell, feel, and sound. Ensure that all of the things you place here are those you are comfortable with.
Give credit to where it is due. Writing, as a form of emotional therapy or treatment, is effective. Various disciplines have attested to that. In addition, fixing your past traumas is one of the good things you can do for your weary mind and soul. Why? Imagination and willpower are lifetime resources you can wield to explain and track problems you need to solve so you can move forward and live life to the fullest.
Once you have set up your safe place, proceed with whatever lifestyle you prefer incorporating with it. If you reduce stress by watching the sunset in your happy place, then write about it. Always remember that there is no right or wrong arrangement here.
List Down The Things That You Are Grateful For In Your Life
Feelings of anger and loneliness can cause our moods to decline. Admit it or not, it’s easier to vent out our extreme feelings when experiencing negative emotions. But to give our mental health the optimism it deserves, it is also essential to exercise writing about what makes us feel good.
These allow you to list down the things that you are most grateful for. Write down the everyday things you feel thankful for. It doesn’t have to be as big as winning the lottery. You may share how a dog you saw pooping on the sidewalk made you smile.
Recognizing all of these things will continuously give you a more positive outlook on life. It will provide you with a different perspective that even little things are essential to someone’s joy and happiness. These are some of the best benefits of journaling.
Writing prompts that you can use for anxiety and depression include:
“If I could promise myself one thing, what would it be?”
Write about a moment or period when you felt grateful or successful.
“How does my anxiety feel, sound, and look like in my opinion?”
“What do I think about when I wake up every day?”
“I am so tired of…”
“I feel so thankful for…”
Final Thoughts And Takeaways To Consider
Journaling can reduce anxiety and other negative feelings, but it is not an easy feat to accomplish. Starting this activity isn’t easy, given that most people do not know where to begin. However, engaging with something like this is an excellent way to get those complicated emotions out of the way. Still, do not forget to complement regular diary sessions with professional help.
Once you’re done writing down your feelings or memories, seek the help of a professional in decoding all of this and how much progress you’ve gone through. All of these will help eliminate self-doubt and improve your life.
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