There is a massive emphasis on self-care at the moment, and for good reason!! The psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and prolonged lockdowns can be devastating, so it is more important than ever to make sure we are looking after ourselves.
One strategy that is often talked about is journaling. You’ve probably heard of it, but, you might ask, what is all the fuss about? Journaling can be misunderstood as solely the domain of teenage girls, often seen in movies being written in a structured way, recalling the events of one’s day, preceded by the words ‘Dear Diary’. However, when the pressure to write in that particular way is taken off, writing in a journal can be a helpful tool for managing unhelpful thoughts, reducing anxiety and stress and coping with low moods.
Here are three benefits of journaling:
Labelling emotions and thoughts
Research shows that journaling encourages self-awareness and self-understanding. When writing about our thoughts and feelings, we can begin to notice any biases in our thinking styles and/or any negative of critical self-talk. Simply noticing and labelling thoughts, and in turn building our awareness of them, is an essential first step to helping to manage any unhelpful thoughts that may be in turn impacting our mood. Once we are aware of them, we can start to work on introducing positive self-talk with practice.
Organising and making sense of things
Have you ever noticed how many different topics your mind can cover in the space of a very short period of time? When we are anxious or stressed, our mind can feel all over the place. Writing down our thoughts can help us organise and make sense of things. Once we have figured out and organised the things that are stressing us out, we can begin to prioritise any problems, fears or concerns, which can help us to feel more in control.
Defusion
When our mind is on ‘autopilot’, it is easy for it to run wild with a whole bunch of thoughts, and when we are feeling down or anxious these thoughts can often be really negative and critical. In this state, we have a tendency to over-identify with our thoughts, meaning that we believe our thoughts are facts and true. This can feel really overwhelming. Cognitive defusion is a practice of taking a step back from our thoughts, noticing and observing thoughts rather than getting ‘swept up’ or ‘buying in’ to them. When we defuse, or distance, from our thoughts, we learn that thoughts are just thoughts, sometimes they are true, but sometimes they are not. With practice of defusing from thoughts, it can become easier to let thoughts come and go, rather than holding on tightly to them. Journaling can be a really helpful tool to practice cognitive defusion, as the process of writing can help us separate from, and observe thoughts, from more of a distance, and let go of unhelpful thoughts when we step away from the journal. One tip you could try is writing the words “I’m having the thought that…” before any thoughts that may come up. This helps to create some space between you and the thought. Creating space is important so you can feel like you are able to work through what you’re experiencing.
As a practice journalling has many benefits, three of which are listed here. You can journal any time, and anywhere. There’s no hard and fast rule. To learn other ways of processing emotions and experiences get in touch with our team.
This blog was written and prepared by Hannah Gersh. Psychologist here at MWG.