Writing Is Good For Your Health: Journaling
Today I’d like to share with you an article I have just written about keeping a journal and the value of doing this. Particularly if you struggle with difficult feelings and emotions then ‘writing them out’ could be really helpful. See if you think it could work for you:
There is something special about writing words onto a page, something helpful about releasing our inner thoughts and committing them to paper, especially when we are in pain. It is as though by this very act alone our mind is freed. Our thoughts no longer swim and chase each other around. There is definition and order to the chaos within our mind and the words on the page become revelatory as we seek to understand our own pain and heal from it…..Write Out Your Pain: The Value of Keeping A Journal
Have you found writing and keeping a journal helpful? I’d really like to hear from you.
Ruth you have wrote a very good article, and Yes I keep a journal have done for several years… I keep jotting down my thoughts, Dreams and poems I keep note books all over, one at my bedside for dreams and poems that come in the middle of the night… I found as you read back also its amazing what you can discover about ourselves…
( I didnt get your update as I forgot to unfollow and follow again…. We will get there! LOL 🙂
Many thanks Ruth for your lovely comments
Sue
Hi Sue, Yes, we are the same, pen and paper at hand at all times! Totally agree with you about looking back over our notes and journal – so interesting to see how we felt or what we thought at times throughout our life. Let’s get this following thing sorted! LOL, Ruth xx
I looked back in my email box and there you were, but it seems that the updates run a little late.. LOL.. But at least I know you are coming into my email box Ruth.. I need to seriously look at controlling those who blog two or three a day and put them on a weekly link in my subscriptions managing LOL.. as Ive not been on my PC for over the weekend and 250 emails 🙂 of new postings…
I hope to post sometime this week…:-) Sending you a hug or two.. 🙂 Sue xx
How to keep up with it all!! There are so many great things out there and we have only 24 hours in the day 🙂 So glad the updates are coming through. I will probably be a bit late commenting on your next ones, as I don’t think I’ll get online from Thursday for a bit, but I will be commenting eventually! Hugs back to you too! Always lovely to see your icon 🙂 🙂 Ruth xx
No Worries Ruth, Yes I could do with 48 hours in every 24 lol… Had my granddaughter who is two in December Lol.. so just coming back down to earth LOL.. 🙂
I know you will be around when you can and visa vera 🙂
Wishing you well my friend xx
Wishing you well too Sue. Yes, we will always catch up with the posts – eventually!! 🙂 Take good care and look after yourself xx
Sue, reading back can be very powerful – and more so if you write a little feedback to yourself when you’ve read;
eg ‘When I read this I notice………’
Hello Kate, thank you for your wonderful Feedback also… Yes its very therapeutic and I will drop by later to see your own site.. Thank you
Sue x
Great to see the acceptance of journalling is growing – as a journal therapist I use journalling in my professional and personal practice. Yes, it really does work.
Hi Kate, Yes, your own work on the value of keeping a journal for therapeutic purposes shows it’s value. I really enjoy following your site. Thanks so much for leaving a comment – really appreciate it. All my best, Ruth
Thank you, Ruth. I like the fact that we are building online community by these blogs and sharing the wonder of the work – for ourselves and others.
I completely agree Kate. I am very new to blogging and I’m finding it a wonderful place to share views and meet thoughtful people.
I absolutely agree. Keeping a journal through difficult times helped me to sort out my thoughts and feelings. It was my own private place where I could express myself freely as I tried to make sense of things. But now, in happier times, I don’t seem able to keep up with a journal as I used to. I’ve fallen out of the habit and It seems strange to think how, at one time, writing daily in it was something I just couldn’t imagine not doing. Reading your article has made me think that maybe I should try keeping one again.
You highlight a really interesting point, Jean – we often turn to things in difficult times which we then don’t continue in happier times. I do this myself too. Maybe we don’t need our journal as much in happier times? Or maybe it would be rather nice to record some good times and write about the better feelings we have? It can also be useful to have a record of better times – a reminder of happiness – in case things get more difficult again. I think another point in favour is that if we are able to keep up with our journal then we can almost ‘keep an eye on ourself’ and more quickly see if we are beginning to be overwhelmed or starting to struggle. Thanks so much for reading the article and for your thoughtful comment. All the best, Ruth 🙂
Hi Ruth, I really enjoyed reading the article on journal writing. I keep a journal and find it a great help in releasing some of my emotions but the problem I sometimes have is when I’m feeling extra low I struggle to even want to pick it up so tend to leave my thoughts left off the paper.
I hope you’re keeping well,x
Thanks so much Chris, glad you enjoyed the article. Am late to reply but I know you’ll understand. Take care x
You’re very welcome Ruth, yes I completely understand, you take care of yourself and thinking of you.x
I do not keep a journal. But see the benefits people can tap into, by doing so.
Thanks so much Kenny. Will be over to you soon – have been rather out of action and will be for a bit longer. I’ll catch up on your posts soon though 🙂
Take all the time in the world Ruth. Nothing special happening at mine anyway. Just messing about with psp and grumping on about the price of potatoes. lol
great post!! I love writing in my journal!
Thanks so much – really appreciate your comment!
thank you.
I think you’re right. Activities such as writing (and making music) are key elements of maintaining good mental health.
We completely agree! Thanks so much Paul 🙂
I write in my journal daily and I know first hand the benefits journaling (and doodling/sketching etc) provides!
Excellent! Thanks so much for your comment and for showing others how valuable a journal can be. Best wishes, Ruth.
Better late than never, Ruth…..just coming to this. I love your article and I do think journal writing is a wonderful exercise for all of the reasons you mention. I always kept a journal growing up and into my 20s, but then stopped about 10 years or so ago as I began feeling self-conscious. I think I’m doing a lot of the same work I used to do in my journals with my fiction, turning everything into the work and examining it, etc. I do love reading other people’s journals — famous people, I mean! Especially creative people — artists and writers — because seeing how they work their art into their daily life is inspiring and helpful. And Anne Frank’s diary was read repeatedly when I was growing up. 🙂
Thanks for a great post — and its wonderful to see your work being published elsewhere, as well. Good for you! Keep it up, Ruth!
Hi Angela, thanks so much for your lovely encouragement – I appreciate it. Yes, it’s hard not to get self-conscious and also hard not to worry about who may read our words one day. (Many famous people relied on others to destroy their private thoughts/diaries and this did not happen!) It feels much ‘safer’ to put our thoughts into fiction and then cloak our selves a little. I know I did this a lot with my songwriting. I feel that as long as you are getting your thoughts down, in some way, it is incredibly helpful to the psyche and the emotional life. So good to see you here! 🙂