Dear Diary
Keeping a diary or a journal can significantly improve your mental health. It can help put things into perspective and illuminate faulty logic. Not only for people wanting to get themselves through a rough patch; but for anyone wanting to get a deeper understanding of themselves. The thoughts in our heads often make perfect sense to us. But when we write them down and look at them, we see that our ideas might be unfair, unrealistic, or under closer scrutiny; we realize that we could be wrong. The structure of thoughts is often less cohesive than writing. Journalling your thoughts is an excellent way to help organize and process them more effectively. Doing this can lead to self-discovery and aid in moving through difficult emotional times (10 things to know about the psychology of journalling).
The type of journal is essential. Keeping a gratitude journal has been shown to improve moods and decrease depression (Journalling for Mental Health). It can help shift us from a cynical thought process into a more positive one. It helps move us away from self-pity. When we are in a self-pitying mindset, we are stuck. It can turn into a downward spiral that leads to poor decision-making. The wrong decisions lead to more negative thoughts and decreased sense of self, leading to more bad choices. This creates a feedback loop that can be destructive.
Journalling is a great way to catalogue and identify patterns in behaviour. You can look back at different days when you felt similar feelings and see what else was happening, like feeling extra stress leading up to a test, after the test, or both. Or how having additional stress at work can profoundly affect the quality of the interactions in your personal life. The true gift of a journal/diary is that after you identify these things, you can formulate a plan on how to move forward. This will often involve using whatever resources you have available to you. Added perspectives can help you have a deeper insight into a situation and provide you with a more significant number of possible solutions. A good friend once told me, “I’m on the wrong side of my eyeballs; I can’t see my own shi#.” I can tell you from my personal experience that this is true. We tend to stand in our own blind spots. It pays to have friends who call you out on your ‘stuff.’
Keeping a journal is a great way to remember your thoughts more accurately. Writing things down can increase your ability to remember things (Stronger Brain Activity After Writing on Paper Than on Tablet or Smartphone). Writing allows you to slow down and evaluate the situation; in doing so, you can respond to things rather than react. Responses are far more thoughtful and balanced than reactions. By increasing your capacity to remember events, you can have a more balanced view of the past. Remembering the good and the bad is integral to well-being.
These are some of the reasons that it’s beneficial to keep a journal/diary. Write about what you think and feel. Learn about you. It’s a great way to slow down and be kind, especially to yourself. We are our own worst critics in many regards. A journal can help paint a more detailed picture of the situation. It will help you look inward and make sense of where you are. When you know where you are and where you want to end up, choosing which path is better for you becomes clearer.
