Exercising our bodies with the aim of keeping healthy is a concept in no need of explanation. Yet we often neglect the idea that our minds may need regular workouts to function at their best. It is only when we lie awake at night worrying that we promise to ‘do something’ about the crippling anxiety that plagues our lives. Anxiety, depression, panic attacks and excessive worrying can all be natural responses to stressful events in our lives, but if they are not resolved they can affect our physical wellbeing too.
Depending on each individual case, counselling, psychotherapy and medication can be helpful ways of dealing with the underlying issues, but one method has been making a comeback recently – writing a private journal. The Americans call it journaling, while the self-help community refers to it as a gratitude journal.
Whatever name you like to give it, the practice of writing down one’s private thoughts brings clarity of the mind, relieves excessive worrying and anxiety, and in the long run it builds self-esteem, together with better mind habits. Think of it as a workout for the mind – the more you do it, the better you get, and just as physical exercise strengthens the muscles, writing a journal fortifies the mind. Keeping a journal can calm frantic thoughts, show the issue from a different perspective, and change your perception from feeling overwhelmed to being able to cope, or even find a solution.
In this age of sharing many aspects of our lives with people we have never met, the idea of writing down our thoughts and feelings may seem pointless, but it can serve as a great reminder of the mistakes we can learn from and achievements to be proud of. Putting our feelings into words – verbalizing the problem – makes us feel better because it brings the issue from the brain’s amygdala (the emotional centre) to the prefrontal cortex (the more rational part). As a result we feel less anger, less sadness, less pain, for example.
For the die-hard traditionalists only a paper notebook will do, but if you cannot bear to be disconnected from your smartphone or a tablet, you could write your journal in a password-protected file, and yes, there is an app for it too! For some people blogging may be a suitable platform, especially when the purpose is a specific subject, be it weight loss or dealing with a traumatic experience. Blogging may be a great way to create a supporting community to help yourself and others, while sharing your story.
Some journals are meant to remain private, some are written to be shared, and some might even inspire you to creative writing, but if writing it down seems alien to you, why not consider another form of artistic expression? Sketching, drawing, painting, colouring books, or dancing can all be therapeutic ways of helping the mind process difficult events in our lives.