Journaling for your mental health is a powerful way to process your thoughts throughout the day. However, there are some barriers to staying consistent. In this blog, we hope to explain the barriers and solution to journaling for mental health.
On daily basis we come across tons of information that can be stimulating to the brain. Parietal Lobe, the region of the brain responsible for information processing continues to digest the information throughout the day. Some events might be emotionally taxing that require further time to process and resolve at the end of each day. For example; dealing with a difficult customer may cause you some level of stress but you did not have a chance to process the feeling or emotions related to that event. This is where journaling can be very helpful in stimulating the Parietal Lobe to help process and resolve intense emotions in the end of each day.
Barriers to journaling regularly
- A common obstacle to journaling is the pressure to write our thoughts in a sensible manner. The anxiety to right well seems to prevent many people from journaling regularly. I often encourage my clients to journal as if they were talking to someone about their day. So keep it real and simple.
- Another reason that prevents people from journaling is the fear that someone might read their writings. If this is a concern for you, you might want to use an app similar to the Notes application for apple devices. This will allow you to lock your notes with a password preventing others from reading them.
- For some people not having enough time to journal is an obstacle. This is because most of us think that journaling should take hours, which in reality it can be achieved in 15 to 20 minutes. So keep your journaling short if you’re pressed for time.
"I write because I don't know what I think until I read what I say"
How to journal for mental health
- Choose a time that works for you each day. Allow 15 to 20 minutes for this activity.
- Be consistent with your journaling ritual.
- Find comfort when journaling (i.e. wear comfy clothes, drink tea, lounge on your favorite chair).
- Write or draw freely as you reflect on your day. It’s your journal, it’s your life.
It has been proven that journaling is effective in reducing anxiety and depression levels. Processing your day in a journaling manner can help you prioritize concerns that may require your attention, help you reflect on your behavior or the behavior of others, and encourage you to live life intentionally. Good luck and happy journaling!
Share Post:
Therapy, anywhere, at your pace.
schedule A free Consultation Today.
