I started writing a diary when I was 13, I enjoyed getting all my thought out and didn't realise at the time how beneficial this was. I have carried this on throughout my life, although not everyday. Sometimes I may write just a few sentences. When I've been through a particularly difficult period of my life I have found it has helped me to get pen to paper and "brain dump" everything I am feeling. Rather than things going around my head I have found it has felt like a bit of a weight has lifted once it is on the paper. It has also been helpful to look back at what I have been feeling in a particular situation and maybe see things differently. Studies have shown that journalling can help improve mental health.
Some research even suggests that journaling can increase your physical health. It may boost your immune system, and it can certainly help manage stressful events and experiences, thereby decreasing the damage that stress can do to your body. As Julia Cameron writes in her book The Artist’s Way, opening ourselves to this process leads to “gentle but powerful change.”
I would recommend starting slowly, write a few sentences on what you are feeling and why you are feeling that way. If you are upset, what is the cause and what would make you feel better.
Don't overthink it, you can write anything that is on your mind. Even if you just start with once a week that is a step in the right direction.
A powerful way to change negative thinking into a more positive mindset is by writing 5 things you are grateful for. Try this every day for a week and see how you feel. It could be something really small like my partner making me a cup of tea or speaking to a friend on the phone.
Even if you don’t like what you’ve written, keep doing it. The extra benefits of mind clearing and self-defining are important enough to keep you motivated, even if you never look at what you wrote again.
Keep your journal private, it is for your eyes only.
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