How Journaling Can Help You Heal

Have you ever had an argument, confrontation, or even just received a snarky comment that you can't seem to stop thinking about? Do you catch yourself ruminating over a negative experience and thinking what you should have said or what you might say if something similar were to happen? Maybe you just experienced something that you know, rationally, shouldn't be causing you so much discomfort or distress, but you just can't let it go. Journaling might help.

Journaling allows us to do something that we otherwise struggle with - slow down! Our brains are constantly thinking of so many things at once. Work, school, kids, relationships, money, lack of money, etc. When you have past trauma, anxiety, or depression, your mind is also always processing these things behind everything else. As a result, when we experience something uncomfortable, such as a confrontation with a coworker, we often catch ourselves ruminating and mulling over the details in our mind. We might even catch ourselves telling the story to anyone who will listen.

Do this instead

You don't have to have a journal, just paper and something to write with. Start writing the experience out with every detail. As you're writing you'll notice that your brain is only allowed to move as fast as your hand moves. It might feel frustrating at first, but you'll eventually get comfortable with this and your mind will wander. You'll recount a detail of how your coworker made a comment about a meeting that you weren't included in and because you're slowing down you'll think about past experiences when you weren't included. Maybe this has been a theme in your life. Give yourself permission to get off track and dive into those thoughts.

Rewriting the narrative

If you've been through anything traumatic in the past - losing a loved one, divorce, any form of abuse, witnessing something tragic, medical trauma, etc. - journaling is a great way to process the trauma and studies have shown that people make great progress with "rewriting the narrative." This is simply the process of telling your own story, your truth, from your perspective. This can be incredibly helpful as you can write about your strength and resiliency as opposed to what happened to you. You reclaim your power and drop the label of victim.

Tips to get started

1. If you're a perfectionist, get two journals. One to write in when you're upset and just want to vent and one to write your story or to keep detailed information from the day. You don't want to not write because you don't want to mess up your journal.

2. If you're going to write about something significant - don't do it on your lunch break at work. Set aside time when you can allow yourself to be vulnerable.

3. Keep a black sharpie nearby and mark out names or identifying information if you aren't confident you can keep your journal safe. I would encourage you to use names and all the information that's relevant and just mark it out if you don't want to keep it.

4. You can write entries to a person who has passed away, someone you have cut ties with, anyone. You can write in the form of prayer. You can do whatever you want!

5. Google or search on Pinterest for "journal prompts" if you have no idea where to start. One of my favorites is to think about an age, let's say 16, and write about what you thought your life would look like at the age you are now. Would 16 year old you be proud, disappointed, surprised? How do you feel about your journey? What is something you encountered and handled that your younger self wouldn't believe? What would you tell your younger self, knowing what you know now?

Park Owens MC, LPC Associate

Supervised by Anne Hardegree MEd, LPC-S