3 Reasons Why Writing in a Journal is Good for Your Mental Health

Whether you are now entering a rehab program or you have just completed one, many rehab centers will suggest that you begin to journal your emotions and your experiences. Two items as simple as a pen and paper can help with the stress and anxiety that arise from coping and overcoming addictions and disorders. Journaling is an ancient tradition that dates back centuries from our primitive ancestors to modern, successful writers and presidents. There is a certain comfort associated with being able to confess your struggles and fears to a confidant that will not illicit feelings of judgment or embarrassment. Here are the 3 reasons why writing a journal helps to promote good mental health.

1. A journal helps you know yourself better.
Routinely writing is a great way to track patterns, improvements, and growth within yourself. By taking a few minutes to jot down your thoughts and emotions, you give yourself time to reflect on your day. It will clarify your true thoughts and feelings in a therapeutic session with yourself that is designed to keep you open-minded. When we are open-minded, we get the opportunity to learn more about our likes and our dislikes. Re-reading your journal entries is a great form of hindsight that will help to point out the situations in which you feel confident and the ones where you felt more insecure.

2. It reduces stress.
Sometimes the pressure and anxiety of overcoming addictions, or even daily life, can feel insurmountable. By allotting yourself time to write, you are removing the filter in your brain that stops you from saying things out loud. You are able to write about anger, sadness, and pain which releases the intensity of emotions onto the paper. You may catch yourself laughing or crying as you write, and this is natural. It means that instead of bottling-up the stress, you are using a healthy and safe outlet. The world will appear clearer when you no longer are weighed down by the internal struggle and you gain back the control that felt like it disappeared.

3. Writing helps to solve disagreements and problems efficiently.
If you are ever in a disagreement with others, a journal does not require censorship. Often times, disagreements can quickly escalade into verbal attacks leaving both parties wishing that they had not said what they had stated. Taking time to write about the misunderstandings rather than acting rashly gives you a chance to decide if your immediate feelings are warranted. It may even help you to see a different perspective of an issue because while the act of writing occupies the left side of your brain (the side that is rational and analytical), the right side of your brain is free to discover and really create feelings about the words you are using. This is why it also helps to solve problems. Too often in life, we default to our analytical left brain for problem solving when the answer can be found using the right side's creativity and intuition.

Another great benefit to writing in a journal is that it is easy to start. Pick a special journal and pen that suits your personality. Look forward to your writing time and look at it as a place of personal relaxation where you can wind down and where you are never wrong. Try to write every day, make it easy (don't worry so much about your penmanship), and if you feel comfortable with sharing part of your journal with others, feel free to give them a glimpse at your feelings by reading it. Write and share whatever feels right for you

Elliot Caleira is a freelance writer in the self-mastery and health and wellness spaces. When he's not writing you'll find him cooking or teaching Portuguese classes.