Also known as therapeutic writing, journaling is the practice of recording your thoughts on paper to gain insight and organize your emotions. This practice is ideal for reducing stress and clearing your mind. Here's how it works and what benefits it has for mental health and self-discovery.
5 main benefits of journaling
Mental health care has taken on new significance after the WHO reported in 2016 that 25% of the world's population may experience mental disorders during their lifetime. That is why it is important not only to find “your” psychologist, but also to implement daily habits that maintain internal balance. In particular, keeping a diary.
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Psychologists note that regular recording of thoughts and experiences is extremely beneficial for daily well-being: it helps to structure thinking, relieve emotional stress, and learn from your own experiences.
Rocio Garcia Torres, a doctor of psychology and professor at the University of Villanueva (Spain), cites a study by the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon (Mexico) that confirms the ability of journaling to regulate stress levels. She also mentions a study by the University of Cambridge that proves its positive effects on physical and emotional health. “It is a habit that involves taking time every day to organize emotions and transfer them to paper. It helps us become aware of the automatic ideas that we constantly reproduce. Understanding how we are structured, what internal wounds we have and what scenarios we tend to repeat can break us out of the vicious circle of obsessive thoughts,” the psychologist explains.
5 reasons to make journaling a daily ritual
1. Deeper work with self-awareness
According to Rocio Garcia Torres, the main goal of keeping notes is to deepen self-knowledge: becoming aware of what is happening in your thoughts and feelings, understanding your own values, what brings joy or pain, and what emotion dominates at a particular moment in your life.
For journaling to be truly effective, it must be accompanied by honest internal reflection. “At different times in life, a person can get stuck in fear, sadness, or anger. If they are not aware of this, it is impossible to overcome the problem. Therapy is not just about healing – its goal is to make the unconscious conscious,” the expert explains.
2. Searching for answers
Feeling an inner discomfort for no apparent reason is familiar to many. But there is always a reason, and one of the easiest ways to discover it is to write down your thoughts.
“The ability to stop, sort through emotions, and give them verbal form is extremely beneficial for mental health,” notes Garcia Torres.
The main goal of such records is to look at ourselves with kindness, without judgment or filters. “Our behavior, internal discomfort, character traits – all this has an explanation,” the psychologist emphasizes.
3. Learning from your mistakes
Journaling allows you to track the evolution of your thinking. “It helps to identify cognitive distortions – irrational beliefs that we perceive as truth. When they appear on paper, their real weight becomes clear. Is this thought objective, or does it exist only in the imagination?” – explains the expert.
The limitations of human memory make writing down emotions a useful tool for personal development. Realizing a mistake in this way helps to avoid repeating it in the future.
4. Development of creativity
“We keep photos and memories, so why not do the same with feelings?”, says Rocio Garcia Torres. Journaling can be adapted to your level of creativity: in the format of a diary, a blog, notes on your phone. When starting work with new patients, the psychologist often advises choosing a notebook that “says something” to the owner. She calls it “the notebook for the rest of your life.” Although she admits that for some, a digital format is more suitable.
5. Reconnecting with yourself
For journaling to be truly beneficial, it must remain as private as possible. “When there is no other addressee but ourselves, there is freedom and sincerity in expressing feelings,” the psychologist concludes.
Based on material from: Vogue.fr