The quiet power of journaling
What do Oscar Wilde, Marcus Aurelius, Queen Victoria, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Virginia Woolf, Franz Kafka, Anne Frank and Ben Franklin all have in common? … they were all journalers. Some did it sporadically, some in the morning, some in quiet contemplation at the end of the day and some, like Leonardo da Vinci, kept their journals on them at all times. But regardless of when these powerhouses of history spent time putting thoughts to paper, one thing rings true for all. Journals are not for the reader. They are for the writer. They act as an avenue to externalise unspoken thoughts and feelings and at times, assign meaning to pain. Journaling is an outlet to speak your quiet truth without fear of being judged. It is a tool that has been used for hundreds of years so as to slow the mind down. And to find peace with oneself. And wonderfully, it is a tool I use both therapeutic and personal practice and I am going to share with you why.
Why journal?
Therapeutic journaling is a learning tool. Hubbs + Brand describe it as a “vehicle for inner dialogue that connects thoughts, feelings and actions”. It is a creative way to engage patients (and people at large) in a therapeutic activity that can lead to greater self-awareness and growth. Rogers stated “creativity is not a tool. It is a mystery that you enter: an unfolding: an opening process”. What he was speaking of was that through expressive writing you can learn to find a deeper meaning, to unravel stressful reactions to your self, others and events.
More than this, research has shown that therapeutic journaling can help heal deep emotional wounds. In a study conducted by Sunwolf, Hart + Scalise they discovered that those who had been traumatised by the attacks of 9/11, through journaling, reported a decrease in traumatic symptoms. The authors concluded that this decrease was due to the opportunity to “honour the wound”. And this finding has been reflected through numerous studies, with adolescents in particular being extremely responsive to this type of intervention.
Researchers believe the power in journaling, other than its stress reductive qualities, is that you are able to create distance between the person and the narrative, whilst asking yourself tough questions.
Where am I standing in my own way?
What is the harder choice I am avoiding?
What have I learnt from this experience?
What do these challenges reveal about my character?
Additionally, by being able to write down what you are worrying or obsessing over, you can lessen the baggage that you carry around in your head. You create space for other pursuits. It allows you to look at your anxiety, fears, or challenges with more objectivity. And that distance and objectivity is key to an uncluttered mind.
Researchers have also found the wonderful benefits of gratitude journaling. Where you write down three aspects of your day that you are grateful for, and why, each day. This also acts as a stress reliever.
How should I start?
As Author Ryan Holiday states, “who cares”. He declares, “how you journal is much less important then why you are doing it: to get something off your chest. To have quiet time with your thoughts. To clarify those thoughts. To seperate the harmful from the insightful.”
What Holiday articulates so eloquently is that there is no right or wrong way to journal. The point is to just do it. Whether you’ve started before and have since stopped, getting back into the rhythm of journaling is where the magic will begin to unfold.
As French painter Eugene Delacroix declared, “I am taking up my Journal again after a long break. I think it may be a way of calming this nervous excitement that has been worrying me for so long”. Journaling can act as emotional windscreen wipers. Within a few minutes it will allow for reflection, whilst cultivating stillness. It is a beautiful escape from the world.
So my recommendation is, just start. Find what works for you. Whether that is once, twice, three times per day. Whether it be as you wake in the morning, or before you climb into bed at night. Start. It might just be the most important, powerful and restful thing you do all day.
