Why journaling

Research also suggests it might be helping our health and immune systems, the very things many of us are worried about. People had been keeping diaries long before scientists thought to put them under microscopes. But in the past 30 years, hundreds of studies have uncovered the benefits of putting pen to paper with your deepest thoughts and feelings. In a study , nearly young adults were asked to spend 15 minutes journaling or drawing about a stressful event, or writing about their plans for the day, twice during one week.

The people who journaled saw the biggest reduction in symptoms like depression, anxiety, and hostility, particularly if they were very distressed to begin with. This was true even though 80 percent had seldom journaled about their feelings and only 61 percent were comfortable doing so. Cathartic is probably a better word. In fact, some research suggests that we can feel more anxious , sad, or guilty right after we write. But in the long term, we can expect to cultivate a greater sense of meaning as well as better health.

Various studies have found that people who do a bout of journaling have fewer doctor visits in the following half year, and reduced symptoms of chronic disease like asthma and arthritis.

Other research finds that writing specifically boosts our immune system, good news when the source of so much stress today is an infectious virus.

One older study even found that journaling could make vaccines more effective. In the experiment, some medical students wrote for four days in a row about their thoughts and feelings around some of the most traumatic experiences of their lives, from divorce to grief to abuse, while others simply wrote down their daily events and plans. Then, everyone received the hepatitis B vaccine and two booster shots. According to blood tests, the group who journaled about upsetting experiences had higher antibodies right before the last dose and two months later.

Petrie and his colleagues. In another study , researchers recruited undergraduate students who tested positive for the virus that causes mononucleosis, which persists in the body after infection and has the potential to flare up. Three times weekly for 20 minutes, some wrote about a stressful event—like a breakup or a death—while others wrote about their possessions. It helps you create a practical plan to achieve goals and break up big tasks into smaller chunks.

A journal helps you review past failures and successes — and better plan for the future. The thought of writing about a wasted day just might motivate you to spend that day more wisely. It also puts things in perspective and makes you realize that no matter how bad things seem, there are solutions and things to be grateful for now.

It also helps you identify your triggers and learn how to handle them. Writing about your emotions in an abstract, impersonal perspective is also calming and makes you happier , a study found. Writing about your feelings helps the brain overcome upsets and leaves you happier, the study noted. Writing about your emotions helps you become self-aware.

It takes a load off and improves your mood. Journaling helps you identify patterns and specific thoughts that throw you into depression. Keeping a journal is so effective that mental health experts recommend journaling to manage depression symptoms — and this journaling makes therapy work better too. Problems begin to look more manageable when you get them down on paper. Journaling helps in more extreme cases, too. In another study, journaling was shown to help people make sense of trauma.

Students who wrote about their traumatic experiences for six weeks reported a more positive mood than a group who wrote about their everyday experiences. Expressive writing helps people better handle symptoms of PTSD, lowers body tension and lessens feelings of anxiety and anger. Journaling lets you explore uncharted thoughts and emotions. Writing about your recurrent thoughts gets them out of the way and clears your mind to make room for other ideas. Writing on paper also lets you examine your ideas from various perspectives.

Journaling helps you keep track of your ideas, inspirations, quotes and sketches. They may be just scribbles when they stand alone, but they add up to powerful insights over time. A journal is a safe space for honesty that will free you from thinking about what you should be writing. It also frees you from endlessly comparing yourself to others.

Writing puts you into your own lane and boost your self-esteem. It makes you less likely to worry about pleasing others. But what if, like many of us, you find yourself stuck, staring fruitlessly at a blank page? Well first, ditch the guilt of not being consistent or instantly motivated. Simply start where you are. If you need to initially just write a single line , or detail the specifics of what you had for breakfast, do it.

This is for you. Go ahead, grab one of those four-for-a-dollar marble composition books or another fancier option and set aside a dedicated space and time for journaling. Intermountain Healthcare is a Utah-based, not-for-profit system of 24 hospitals includes "virtual" hospital , a Medical Group with more than 2, physicians and advanced practice clinicians at about clinics, a health plans division called SelectHealth, and other health services.

Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in clinical quality improvement and efficient healthcare delivery.

Which should I choose? Authors Topics. Kasee Bailey Jul 31, Dear Diary. By telling myself that I believe in myself and my success, then my mind must focus on this story. Mark Scholl, associate professor in the counseling department at Wake Forest University, follows a similar philosophy. He teaches a class at the North Carolina campus called Quantum Change where students undergo a week personal improvement project.

Whether the change involves fostering stronger friendships with peers or developing better time management skills, journaling is a key component to the project, Scholl says. In addition to teaching, Scholl also counsels clients with criminal records who are unemployed or underemployed. He says the journaling process has allowed his clients to track the time and energy they put into their job search and document which strategies are most effective.

Given how simple and low-cost journaling is, the benefits can be surprising. Research has shown that the act of jotting down our thoughts improves memory, makes us more mindful, promotes better sleep and even supports our immune system — making this period during the pandemic and vaccine rollout a perfect time to start.