The Reasons Why Therapeutic Journaling Is Helpful

My top journaling tips, are just for you!

What is therapeutic journaling?

Journaling is a form of self-lead therapy. Some things just can’t be said, maybe because they are too hard to explain, or because the fear of being judged for your thoughts outweighs your need to share your situation or dilemma.

This is why keeping a journal can be so helpful to relieve these thoughts so that they are not crammed into your brain, making it hard for you to concentrate on other things, like your hobbies, your job, your family and friends, and most importantly your mental health. Not only does it help to get your thoughts down, but it can help to unleash buried emotions.

I never liked writing. I even hated it.

Not only that, but I remember back in school when our English teacher was talking about oysters (I have no clue why) and I fell asleep.

Embarrassingly enough, as it may seem, I even released a snore here and there. But I couldn’t get my head around all the different styles, and “rules” for good writing.

But what is good writing? Is there such a thing, as good writing?

Hospital Self-Led Therapy

Being admitted to the hospital meant that I had a lot of time on my hands. I didn’t like going on my phone during the hours of daylight, and I didn’t have enough brain capacity to be creative.

So I discovered journaling. I started with a small notepad that the occupational therapist managed to find for me, and I started jotting down my thoughts.

At the time, I struggled to show any type of emotion. I was mentally and physically detached from my feelings and my surroundings. However, when I started becoming more emotional, journaling was the best way to release them. (I also didn’t fall asleep this time!)

Emotions are like waves. You can’t stop them from coming, but you can choose which ones to surf

I used my journal to document my process. Documenting everything you can imagine.

From documenting what I ate, my thoughts, any visits, any meltdowns, and even how many times I went to the toilet. OK, I know, a bit far. But I was bored, and I didn’t have anything else to do. It was either writing about the most random stuff or doing nothing at all, just me and my eating disorder alone all day was not something that I had enough energy for.

I now have a collection of 5 different diaries. Which all document different stages of my recovery. Even though I remember everything that has happened over the last couple of years, reading through my old diaries is something I just can’t bring myself to do.

Journaling can be therapeutic, depending on what you write. But If you are writing everything down like I did, then reading back on all the meltdowns, negative thoughts, and negative actions can have a huge effect on your emotional present self.

Why is Journaling Helpful?

Therapeutic journaling is more than just putting pen to paper—it’s a powerful tool for mental health and emotional well-being. Here’s why incorporating this practice into your routine can be incredibly beneficial:

1. Stress Relief

Journaling provides an outlet for releasing pent-up emotions and thoughts. By writing about what’s on your mind, you can relieve stress and reduce the mental clutter that often accompanies anxiety and overwhelming situations.

2. Emotional Expression

Not all emotions are easy to verbalize. Journaling allows you to express feelings that are too difficult to talk about. Whether you’re drawing, writing, or even creating a collage, expressing yourself through journaling can help you process complex emotions.

3. Self-Discovery

Through journaling, you can gain deeper insights into your thoughts, behaviours, and patterns. It’s a journey of self-discovery where you learn more about your values, goals, and fears, which can lead to personal growth and self-awareness.

Have you noticed a change in your writing?

I have noticed a dramatic change in my writing, especially how much my writing has grown. At first, my writing reflected how I felt and physically looked.

I would write in the smallest lettering, that even I would struggle to read it. If you were to look at this journal, it would look like some coding and not like sentences.

I also have noticed a shift, from a negative point of view to a more positive view. I am glad to have discovered journaling, as I would not have been able to notice these shifts.

When I get a glimpse of my journal, all I see is me winning my life back, another reason why journaling is fantastic.

If you struggle with the thought that you are not getting anywhere in life or recovery, or you think that you are not trying hard enough. Then I would read through the last few pages and re-read what happened in the past few weeks. You may notice a positive or a negative change.

But everything you do is progress!

Recovery isn’t just about reclaiming your body; it’s about reclaiming your life — unknown

My top tips for journaling:

Knowing what to write about

You could write about anything. For example, your mental health, or something that made you angry, upset, happy, excited, or even just happy thoughts and memories you want written down. Getting a clear idea of what you want to write about will make it easier for you to organise your thoughts.

Try writing consistently 

This isn’t a must but writing for about 20 minutes for at least 4 days has shown to have a positive effect on your health.

Get yourself a nice journal

Find a journal that motivates you to write. You can either buy one off of Amazon or from Etsy or if you are a creative person, and you have enough time on your hands, then you could even make your own. I always like to get a journal that has a motivational or aspirational quote on the front. It would remind me to carry on. However, if you want to try it out first, then a scrap notebook would also do the job, you can always upgrade further down the line.

You can find the journal that I used here. I have been using it to document the last year of my recovery→ This has by far been my favourite journal, as the pages were high quality and had a nice thickness to them.

I now have a new journal for a new beginning, which you can find Here

Find a time in the day when you want to write, or just write at the moment

 Planning a time in the day is a helpful way to stay on track. I would always bullet point the events of my day at the back of my journal so that if I did have a lot of therapy that day, I would still be able to write down what happened.

Reminder

You don’t have to write a whole book, a few lines, paragraphs, or even bullet points are sufficient. You need to decide what’s best for you.

My last advice 

Only read back on your journal when you know that you can handle your past. Your journal is a document of the past, and it may affect your present you.

What Could You Do Instead Of Writing?

Now, I know that writing your thoughts or emotions down can be quite challenging.

If you do struggle to do so, then you could try drawing them instead. These don’t have to be masterpieces, they could just be lines or scribbles. Whatever helps you is what is best for you, because your body and brain know what they want and need.

We all know the saying “A picture has more than a thousand words” and this is so true. Like I said at the beginning, some things just can’t be said, so drawing them might make them clearer for you or for the person you are trying to reach out to.

I would also draw little scribbles on a piece of paper. They would show a lot more emotions than my writing. There were even days when the page would be completely wrecked because I would have lost myself in the drawing and the scribbles.

I hope this could help some of you gain a better understanding, when it comes to therapeutic journaling, especially when recovering from a mental health illness.