Journalling: Writing for Your Mental Wellbeing

No matter your age, if you're feeling demotivated and empty, journalling can be a beneficial tool and can offer you some relief. While it cannot be considered a complete substitute for counselling, the regular insight exercise can reduce the number of session's needed.

Journalling allows you a deep dive into your thoughts and experiences. There is only you, without the embarrassment you can sometimes feel when talking to someone about your vulnerabilities. You can allow yourself to be completely honest, and while you are writing down your deepest secrets, these become less daunting and more approachable.

Journalling helps you gain different perspectives.

Journalling is about describing your thoughts, emotions and experiences, and it's not a mere recording of events. It's a deeper exploration of how you perceived those events, the feelings, your expectation and interpretation. All this allows you to make sense of your story.

Allowing yourself to express your emotion, even if in writing, helps you working them through and moving forward.

“Journaling is like whispering to one’s self and listening at the same time.”

Mina Murray

How to keep an emotion journal

While there are no right or wrong ways to keep a journal, here are some guidelines that may help you understand the task:

Find your quiet nook to write.

Find a place where you can sit quietly and write if that place is also your favourite corner, even better! Ensure you won't be disturbed by others and switch your devices off.

Try to make it become a daily habit.

Fifteen minutes of daily writing allow you to discover how you function emotionally and take action if it's needed. On the other side, writing only when you are in the midst of an emotional hurricane can enhance its strength and not be very helpful.

Fixing a certain time daily increases the chance that your commitment to journalling holds.

Make little notes during the day.

When something brings up complicated emotions, such as sadness, shame, guilt, anger, take little notes before you forget about it.

“Keeping a journal of what’s going on in your life is a good way