The Benefits of Journaling

in Anger Management / Anxiety / Depression / Grief / Mental Health / Self care / Stress / Stress Management / Teaching Mindfulness / Teen Therapy  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By: Madeline Lee, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program

journalingis a great, cost-effective therapeutic tool that can be beneficial for a large range of situations. There are studies showing that different populations ranging from young school children to expecting or new mothers benefit from journaling. For instance, the school students reported that journaling resulted in less anxiety for them as well as improvements in their ability to enjoy and learn from their course. (McCarty and Faulkner, 2020). The expectant and new mothers reported improved moods, better mental and physical well-being, the decreasing of depressive symptoms, as well as increased awareness and utilization of resources (Suhr et al., 2017). Journaling is accessible to all in that it requires little equipment, time, or cost, with no rules or judgment to worry about as well.

Journaling is therapeutic in many ways: it can become a creative method in which to express yourself, an outlet to release stress and emotions without judgment, and a place to reflect on your thoughts, emotions, and feelings. It can help you become more aware of certain feelings or thoughts and thus, gain a deeper understanding of yourself. Journaling can also help identify potential triggers and help you shift your perspective (Godfrey-Isaacs, 2021). Critical thinking and problem-solving can be improved through journaling as well. For instance, one study had their participants concentrate on the positive aspects of their life, such as their personal strengths, times of well-being, and gratitude. By remembering the positive experiences and successful coping methods they used in the past, the participants were able to increase their awareness of their strengths and personal resources to better deal with future stressful situations and access positive emotions (Suhr et al, 2017).

Some may feel that they would struggle with journaling as they have nothing to write about. There are numerous prompts online that can help the individual get started or the individual can just write about whatever comes to mind, even if that is repeatedly writing “I don’t know what to write about” until they find a topic (Portman, 2020). Once the activity becomes routine, it will become easier to find something to write about in the future. Some prompts that one could start with include:

  • “How was my day?”
  • “How am I feeling today?”
  • “What’s something I’m looking forward to this week?”
  • “Name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, & 1 good thing about you” (Portman, 2020)

There are also various journals with prompts provided that you can buy or online journals you can use as well, but all journaling really requires is a paper, pen, and an open mind.

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References

Godfrey-Isaacs, L. (2021). Maternal Journal: Creative Journaling to Support Mental Health and Wellbeing. International Journal of Birth & Parent Education, 8(4), 5-8.

McCarty, L.A., & Faulkner, M.S. (2020). Integrating Writing and Mathematics: Journaling to Increase Learning and Enjoyment while Reducing Anxiety. Teaching Mathematics and its Applications, 39(3), 145-159. https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrz010

Portman, S. (2020). Reflective Journaling: A Portal Into the Virtues of Daily Writing. The Reading Teacher, 73 (5), 597-602. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1877

Suhr, M, Risch, A.K., & Wilz, G. (2017). Maintaining Mental Health Through Positive Writing: Effects of a Resource Diary on Depression and Emotion Regulation. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 73(12), 1586-1598. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22463