Have you tried journaling? You may have tried and not connected with it.
Or you may have had a bad experience as a young person having your journal read by others.
Irrespective of your past experience, if you can try again with an open mind, writing can be calming and help reframe your thoughts.
Writing is a form of Expressive Therapy. Writing helps express our thoughts and feelings without being judged and that in itself is healing. It's like having a friend who is always willing to listen and understand your concerns.
Tips to make writing work for you
The best time to try journaling is when your thoughts are overwhelming. You may feel like a narrative is stuck in your head, keeps replaying itself and you just can't shake it off. Or you may feel really bothered by a situation or someone's behaviour and keep analysing the situation over and over.
Pick up a paper and pen (I prefer a pencil as its easier to write fast) and write down everything going on your mind without censoring anything. You can destroy the paper at the end if you don't have enough privacy to keep a journal. When writing it is essential to not to worry about grammar, spelling or even writing in full sentences. Sometimes you may want to write just words or phrases and move on to next thought.
Give yourself 15minutes of uncensored writing time and at the end of this put your journal away (or destroy the paper) and move on to the next job you want to attend. You will notice a sense of relief and those overwhelming thoughts will either be quiet or get less intense.
You can write as often as you can but even just spending once a day writing for 15 minutes is proven to be therapeutic and enhance not only mental but also physical health. To see the further benefits, commit to writing daily for a 20-day period.
Sometimes after clearing what's on your mind, you may wish to take time to write an affirmation or a pleasant thought to finish your journaling time. Or chose some pleasant words and take time to write them neatly or decoratively. If you need ideas on decorative writing look up calligraphy fonts and try them. Finishing with writing something nice can feel extremely soothing and restore a sense of hope and peace.
Enjoy your writing and feel free reach out to me if you have any questions.
Love,
Prabha
Comments