In a time of fear, worry and uncertainty, journaling can provide an avenue for self-reflection and help to boost our health and immune systems. Through writing, we can gain insight into our own experience and feelings surrounding the pandemic.
Journaling During the Pandemic: A Path Towards Reflection and Healing
Keeping a written record of your experiences during this difficult time can be an invaluable resource, allowing you to remember this historical moment and process your emotions.
Research suggests that journaling may help ease stress and anxiety while also boosting our health and immune systems.
Writing & Drawing: A Therapeutic Combination
Adding drawings to your journal can further enhance the healing process – a 2003 study found that people who wrote and drew about a negative experience saw the biggest improvements in their mood after three weekly sessions.
The Power of Opening Up
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.
Writing about traumatic experiences may even make vaccines more effective by stimulating your immune system.
Finding the Balance Between Feelings and Thoughts
To make the most of journaling, try not to focus on your emotions for too long, but rather shift the focus to your thoughts about the issue at hand.
This has been studied to have more positive benefits in terms of growth and wellbeing compared to focusing solely on emotion.
Putting Pen to Paper with Your Deepest Thoughts and Feelings
Although it might not always be pleasant, research suggests that journaling may help cultivate a greater sense of meaning as well as better health.
To get the most out of it, establish a routine that works for you, such as journaling for 15 minutes twice a week.
How Journaling Can Help Us Make Sense of Difficult Emotions
Journaling can be a great way to help make sense of our emotions during hard times.
Journaling for a short period each day about anything that’s on your mind can help you identify the range of emotions you may feel, such as sadness or boredom, and assist in finding ways forward.
Gaining Insight Through Voice Recording
Another way to benefit from journaling is by speaking your thoughts aloud into a voice recorder – in one study, students who did this showed the strongest immune responses to the dormant virus in their bodies and experienced psychological improvements like higher self-esteem and healthier coping strategies.
The Benefits of Journaling
Journaling is a way to get our emotions out of our heads and onto paper, which can help us relax and be more productive.
It also helps us organize our thoughts into an understandable story, creating distance from our experiences and helping us gain new perspectives.
How to Practice Expressive Writing
Expressive Writing is one of the most studied techniques in journaling.
This involves writing continuously for 20 minutes about your deepest thoughts and emotions related to an issue in your life.
It can be done four days in a row or a few days a week or just once a week, depending on what works for you.
