We see in movies, middle schoolers and high schoolers keeping a diary of their lives consisting of gossip, crushes, and other personal topics. Even today, people continue to engage in this activity as adults to help alleviate stress and the overall craziness of life. Keeping a diary or in more general, journaling has become popularized for its underlying benefits that most do not realize until they engage in this activity. For a period of time, I have tried keeping a journal, highlighting stressors in my life, and working to help myself through what I wrote. Although humans can be unpredictable, I observed recurring themes that I would not have been able to identify if it were not for me physically reading what I was writing about. With that being said, what are some benefits of journaling? Is journaling truly a beneficial activity or are there downsides?
Before weighing the pros and cons of this activity, there are numerous types of journals that The Healthy highlight. Each of these can be used to enhance your mental health and they are as follows:
Bullet: A creative journal that contains to-do lists, reminders, and doodles.
Dream: A journal explicitly about your dreams and your emotions and reflections on those dreams.
Laughter: A journal highlighting parts of your day that make you laugh
Gratitude: A journal that focuses on daily things or moments you are grateful for.
Creative: A journal highlighting your creativity through writing, drawing, etc.
Goal-oriented: A journal that serves as a tracker to ensure you meet your goals
Collage: A journal where you write your thoughts about specific images you have found.
Drawing: A journal consisting of sketches that explain your emotions and experiences.
Nature: A journal focusing on your experiences and emotions while you’re outside in nature, such as hiking.
Stream of consciousness: A journal that keeps a record of your thoughts as they are happening.
With a greater understanding of the types of journals, let’s begin with some of the most universal advantages of journaling. According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, writing down what you feel every day can help you take control of your anxiety along with reducing ongoing stress and benefit those with depression. By observing what you feel by physically seeing it on paper, journaling lets people pinpoint their priorities, problems and overall fears in their daily lives. This also allows you to take note of specific triggers and provides a mental space for you to control those triggers. Additionally, journaling allows people to identify specific negative tendencies one engages in and further lets them figure out how to change those thoughts and behaviors. With all of these benefits though, there is a catch.
The University of Rochester Medical Center and The Healthy mentions that the only way to maximize these benefits is to undergo other lifestyle changes in conjunction with journaling. They speak of doing the following:
Practice meditation daily
Engage in a healthy, well-balanced diet
Engage in some form of physical activity daily
Get enough sleep each night
Avoid drugs and alcohol
Designate a time in the day to journal and do it in a safe place
Be honest with yourself and the emotions you are feeling
People tend to only highlight the pros to journaling because they believe there are no cons as a result. Nevertheless, there are a few cons to journaling that can mentally affect people since keeping a journal requires other lifestyle changes that people do not do. In a report by The Smart Lioness, journaling can cause some to overthink about their daily movements, negatively impacting their mental health. Furthermore, journaling can make some think about how they will write daily experiences in a journal rather than actually experiencing in the moment what is occurring. For those with inflated egos, journaling might also make one self-obsessed and they may become obsessive over negative thoughts that have happened. It also is a source of blame rather than a place for solutions if not done properly. Evidently, unless done correctly, journaling can actually bring more negative effects into your life rather than positive ones.
Journaling also is a tactic to know when you should seek professional help for yourself. By seeing your thoughts, it can help pinpoint stressors that need more attention to cope with. It is also a primary source of your thoughts that professional help can utilize to provide you with the best assistance possible. Overall, journaling helps an individual so long as other parts of their lives are undergoing healthy changes to maximize its benefits.
