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When you were still young, you might have had a diary kept out of sight so that mom or dad won’t see. Your diary was a space or place to admit that you were scared or anxious without being criticized or judged. It probably felt great to release all those emotions and thoughts out of that head of yours and jot them down on paper. It seems that the world becomes more vivid.
Then after a few years, you might have ceased writing on your diary – just when you started going to college. However, the principles and benefits remain. Now writing a diary is known as journaling. It is merely writing down your emotions, opinions, and thoughts to understand them clearly. And if you try tackling depression, anxiety, or stress, journaling exercises can be an interesting and healthy idea. It helps you take control of you how you feel and enhance your mental health. Indeed, therapists and counselors agree!
Mental Health Benefits
Journaling daily is a wonderful hobby to get into. Surely, any time you spare journaling is worth spending, but the most suitable practice is consistent everyday journaling. Some famous people with depression also use journaling as a coping mechanism for depression.
There are numerous benefits to practicing a regular journaling habit, and this includes the following:
- It pushes you toward your objectives, encouraging you to realize your dreams and visions.
- It provides you an opportunity to go through life’s stressors and learn to leave irrelevant things behind.
- It fosters learning by keeping a record of the key principles and teachings that a person discovers and helps him recall them successfully.
- It stimulates and improves one’s creativity in ways that inconsistent journaling just can’t equal.
- It increases one’s general sense of gratitude and sensitivity to small and big things you should be thankful for.
- You become a better writer, and you get to discover your voice.
- It helps one recognize things that he didn’t pay attention to before, like his thought patterns, factors that influence his behaviors and emotions, and other imbalances in his life.
Journaling Tips
Below is some advice for these young people who are aspiring to become journalists and deal with the anxiety of freelance journalists.
Try Writing Daily. Spare a few minutes each day to write. This will certainly help you maintain a routine of journaling.
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Use It The Way You Want It. You don’t necessarily have to share what you’ve been writing to anyone – not if you don’t want to. But if you would like your family and friends to understand you better, you can perhaps let them read parts of your journal.
Jot down Whatever You Think Helps You. You don’t need to follow instructions in sentencing when you do your journal. It doesn’t have to be as structured and organized as a document or paper. It’s your private space and place to talk about whatever helps ease the stress, anxiety, and negative feelings inside. Don’t worry about criticism or judgment. Nobody will do that here.
Make It Convenient. Keep your notebook (or just a paper) and pen with you all the time. Whenever you want to jot down how you feel, you can. If you don’t want to keep bringing a paper with you, make it easier by journaling on your smartphone.
If you are certain that you want to start (or perhaps restart) your journaling journey, but you don’t know how to, there are several great suggestions, tips, and pieces of advice here that you could find beneficial.
First off, below are some ideas that you can try when you just don’t know where to start in your journey, and deal with the potential anxiety of freelance journalists.
Affirmations. When you’ve run out of thoughts and are frustrated about your self-worth, try to write affirmations or positives. You can write ‘I am skilled and talented’ or ‘I am a great writer.’ You will eventually find something to jot down about, plus improve your mental health.
Gratitude. Writing with gratefulness is a great practice. It also pushes you to kick-start your journey towards journaling regularly, especially if you feel trapped. Just write about areas or people in your life that you are thankful for.
Delving Into Your Anxiety. This could appear negative, but actually, it can be a therapeutic and purgative experience. We frequently feel doubtful or anxious, which is not helpful to alleviate our irrational concerns and issues. Write about your anxious feelings and delve into them until you find their underlying cause.
Conclusion
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Your journal or diary – however you want to call it – is only for you, and remembering this can open opportunities for you to freely expose your honest and entire self onto your paper (or phone). Try it today! You’d only spare a few minutes of your day, and then you’ll discover the benefits.
Have you been journaling? What have you reaped positively from it? If you’ve seen the gains, let your loved ones know how they, too, can heal from their hurts or simply get through the day without sleeping on the stress or anxiety.
Thank you for your time, and happy journaling!