8: Journaling
- Page ID
- 124866
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Did you know that current research suggests that human beings have more than 6,000 thoughts per day? (Tseng & Poppenk, 2020). This statistic demonstrates our brain’s amazing ability to engage with a complex world, but it also reveals the busyness and intricacy of our own minds. Have you ever felt like your brain is a Google search bar, with 10-15 open tabs at any given moment? Or maybe you are on autopilot, juggling a never-ending to-do list alongside responsibilities at work, school, and home. When we are bouncing from one thought to another to keep up with the current fast-paced culture, when does the mind have the opportunity to pause, reflect, and truly learn from life’s experiences?
One answer to this question is through the wellness activity of journaling. Journaling is the intentional practice of writing down your thoughts and feelings to gain insight into your past, present, and future life experiences. This simple act of self-awareness has powerful, wide-ranging health benefits like lowering blood pressure, boosting immune system response, and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression (Baikie & Wilhelm, 2005; Krpan et al., 2013; Smyth et al., 2018). Moreover, a 2023 systematic review of workplace interventions to improve well-being among health care workers concluded that gratitude journaling was an effective tool for reducing stress and depressive symptoms as well as increasing feelings of happiness (Cohen et al., 2023). Regular journaling has even been shown to decrease symptoms of burnout and trauma compassion fatigue in nurses (Dimitroff et al., 2017).
So how does the small act of journal writing lead to big changes in physical, mental, and emotional well-being? The short answer is mindfulness. By sitting down and writing your thoughts, your mind remains focused on your present situation. Even if you are writing about past experiences or fears of the future, you are naming, analyzing, and responding to current thoughts or feelings. This practice of intentional reflection is essential for self-growth and well-being.
Activity
Journaling can offer a window into your mental state and a private space to process your thoughts and feelings. It can help you regulate your emotions, track personal growth, and provide clarity in setting goals.
Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Writing your thoughts helps you remain focused on your current situation. (Photo by Alina Vilchenko from Pexels.)
Materials Suggested
Because journaling is a form of self-expression, the materials you select should reflect your preferences and personality. Feel free to get as creative as you want and choose supplies with various colors and textures. If a digital journal entry is preferred, then consider logging your entries in a different color or style font.
- Writing utensil
- Paper or notebook
- Computer or tablet (if doing the activity digitally)
Directions
- Choose a space that is free from distraction and promotes feelings of relaxation and comfort. Journaling is an introspective and reflective practice. The ideal setting for this activity allows your mind time and space to explore personal thoughts and feelings without interruption. This could be in a quiet room in your home, sitting in your car, or traveling on public transportation. It could be at a local coffee shop or even a breakroom during a shift at work. One of the best parts of this wellness activity is that it can be done at any time and at any place as long as it works for you.
- Choose a time frame for your activity. Set a goal for the minimum amount of time you want to journal, but allow yourself the flexibility to journal beyond that time limit. Journal writing sessions of 10-20 minutes in length are most common, but health benefits are possible with as little as two minutes of daily journal time (Burton & King, 2008). Journaling time may vary depending on your daily circumstances and wellness needs.
- Begin journaling. Write your thoughts and feelings down on paper or type them on your tablet/computer. You can write down whatever flows naturally from your mind in this moment or choose from one of the following writing prompts suggested by Psychology Today (Martin, 2024):
- What are you worried about right now?
- What events happened today and how do you feel about them?
- What are three things that you are grateful for and why?
- What is a situation that you can’t stop thinking about?
- Discuss a happy memory and reflect on why it makes you happy.
- Write about something that makes you feel angry, sad, or afraid.
- Discuss a problem that you want to solve and possible solutions.
- Consider using a reflective model. The Gibbs Model of Reflection (1988) is a helpful tool for journal writing. This six-stage cycle guides the exploration of an individual’s experience with emphasis on fostering personal and professional development (Butler, 2024).
Alternatives/Variations
Consider these different forms of writing to express your thoughts and feelings. Review the associated links to gain deeper insight into these variations on journaling.
- Reflective writing
- Gratitude journaling
- Learn How to Write Expressively (and heal yourself):
Video \(\PageIndex{1}\): Learn how to write expressively. ("Nelda Shorts | James Pennebaker | How to write expressively and heal yourself" by Nelda Studios from YouTube.)
Review your daily and weekly schedule to dedicate time for journaling. The goal is to write a daily journal entry. The timing of this activity should be the best fit for your schedule. For some people, this might look like journaling at the same time every day with your morning coffee or before bed. For others, the time for journal writing will vary depending on when your schedule allows for those precious moments of solitude. Whenever you find the time, the most important part of journaling is committing consistent minutes each day to the practice of allowing thoughts and feelings to flow from the mind to paper (or computer/tablet).
Reflection Questions
1. Describe any changes you noticed in the following areas when journaling this week:
Emotional, Environmental, Intellectual, Occupational, Physical, Social, and/or Spiritual
2. What benefits did you feel when journaling?
3. What, if any, barriers did you experience when journaling?
4. Do you have any additional thoughts and/or future plans for journaling?
5. What are your current stressors and do you have a wellness goal for this week?
References
Baikie, K. A., & Wilhelm, K. (2005). Emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 11(5), 338-346. https://doi.org/10.1192/apt.11.5.338
Butler, S. (2024). Using journalling to support nurses’ mental well-being and self-care in challenging times. Nursing Management, 31(6), 22-27. https://doi.org/10.7748/nm.2024.e2136
Burton, C. M., & King, L. A. (2008). Effects of (very) brief writing on health: The two-minute miracle. British Journal of Health Psychology, 13(1), 9-14. https://doi.org/10.1348/135910707X250910
Cohen, C., Pignata, S., Bezak, E., Tie, M., & Childs, J. (2023). Workplace interventions to improve well-being and reduce burnout for nurses, physicians and allied healthcare professionals: A systematic review. BMJ Open, 13(6), Article e071203. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-071203
Dimitroff, L. J., Sliwoski, L., O’Brien, S., & Nichols, L. W. (2017). Change your life through journaling--the benefits of journaling for registered nurses. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 7(2), 90-98. https://doi.org/10.5430/jnep.v7n2p90
Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford Polytechnic.
Krpan, K. M., Kross, E., Berman, M. G., Deldin, P. J., Askren, M. K., & Jonides, J. (2013). An everyday activity as a treatment for depression: The benefits of expressive writing for people diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 150(3), 1148-1151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2013.05.065
Martin, S. (2024, August 2). How to journal for mental health. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/conquering-codependency/202408/how-to-journal-for-mental-health?msockid=2ce051b8c99264493e05455bc8f36527
Smyth, J. M., Johnson, J. A., Auer, B. J., Lehman, E., Talamo, G., & Sciamanna, C. N. (2018). Online positive affect journaling in the improvement of mental distress and well-being in general medical patients with elevated anxiety symptoms: A preliminary randomized controlled trial. JMIR Mental Health, 5(4), Article e11290. https://doi.org/10.2196/11290
Tseng, J., & Poppenk, J. (2020). Brain meta-state transitions demarcate thoughts across task contexts exposing the mental noise of trait neuroticism. Nature Communications, 11, Article 3480. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17255-9