Studies link writing privately about stressful events and capturing your thoughts and emotions on paper will help to decrease mental distress.
When we’re stressed or consumed by negative thoughts, it’s difficult to view our situation objectively. Writing a journal can help to create the space and distance needed to reflect on what’s happened, where we are and what could lie ahead.
Journaling creates cognitive defusion-looking at our thoughts, rather than being in them to create the separation needed to accept our feelings and commit to the changes we need to make. (Tartakovsy 2022)
How do we do it?
- Set a goal to write 3 / 4 times a week
- Find somewhere quiet, peaceful and away from distraction
- Carve out 20 minutes, even on busy days
- Write about your fears, stressful events or worries in whatever way you want. Make the implicit explicit
- Putting your feelings down on paper can be more effective than using a computer
- Use voice to text software, if you find speaking rather than writing more effective
- What you write/say is private, no one else will read it unless you choose to share it
- Close your notebook and go back to your day
What are the benefits?
- Helps to track your moods, identify triggering situations
- Helps to decrease anxiety and stress
- Encourages you to grow a clearer perspective on challenges
- It supports your physical health too, lowering blood pressure, helps immune system and improve liver function
- Writing can help you to get to know yourself better and improve your relationships
Andrew Lieberman Psychologist at UCLA said, “brain scans on volunteers showed that putting feelings down on paper reduces activity in the part of the brain called the amygdala, which is responsible for controlling the intensity of our emotions.”
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