Why We Journal and Think You Should Too...

You're here, so you obviously have an 'inkling' that journalling could support you, right? But let's dive deeper and look at the research and theory on exactly WHY journalling is such a beautiful and nourishing practice that could support you.

Journalling is both an ancient and new practice. It has been around for centuries in a multitude of forms but has gained further popularity in recent years. Its beauty is in its diversity and accessibility. Journalling can support any area of your life and needs limited resources. You don't need appointments, a professional or lots of money. You just need a little bit of time and a book (the mum in me is like.... yeah 'just' but it's more accessible than a yoga class or massage isn't it!) . Frida Kahlo, Albert Einstein and Marie Curie are just a few names of notable individuals that kept a journal.

So, how exactly can journalling help you?

Mental Health:

• The benefits for mental health and well known and researched and can be attributed to a complex interplay of a range of factors that will be different for each person.

• Studies have found that journalling can help to control of symptoms with mental health conditions including anxiety and depression and are used in psychotherapy (Sohal et al., 2022)

• However, there are general benefits found for mental health recorded in the general population including improved moods, increased wellbeing, fewer depressive symptoms etc. (Baikie and Wilhelm, 2005)

• Benefits also being documented for areas like PTSD and addiction

• These benefits can even be seen in irregular practice (Taratakovsky., 2022)

Emotional Regulation:

• One of the main areas coming out of research is that journalling can help us to accept our feelings rather than resist them and this supports emotional regulation and mental health ( Forsyth and Eifert, 2016)

• Other benefits can be wide ranging and vary depending on the users disposition and needs e.g. processing emotions, confronting negative emotions to develop understanding, release of emotions, increasing clarity in conflicts, venting etc.

• Reduces the impact of stressful or traumatic events

Decision Making:

• Journalling can support clarity of thought, processing and organising of narratives. This in turn can support decision making when faced with difficult choices.

• When used as a reflection tool can create space between yourself and thoughts to support clarity (cogntitive defusion).

Goal Setting:

• Using a journal to gain clarity on goals can help you form SMART targets for yourself

• Free-writing or stream of consciousness methods can help you to become clear on your goals

• One study by the Dominican University found that 43% of people that wrote down goals achieved them but those that told a friend and checked in with them weekly were even more successful!

• Certain types of goal oriented journal can structure your practice

Physical Health:

• Expressive writing has been linked to a range of positive health outcomes (Baikie and Wilhelm, 2005) including; less doctor visits and time in hospital, lower blood pressure, less absenteeism from work and improved lung and liver function!

Executive Function:

• Executive function is a set of mental skills that, if well developed, can support you in many areas of your life

• They include adaptable thinking, working memory, impulse control, task initiation, self-monitoring, self-regulation, attention and focus, time management, organisation and planning

• Anxiety can interfere with executive functions

• Certain styles of journalling or guided can support you with specific developments in these areas

Sound good? Our next blog post on how to get started with journalling will help you to take those important first steps!