The Amazing Benefits of Journaling :o)

This entry is paraphrased from the August 15, 2008 edition of “Bottom Line Personal” and is based on an interview with Kathleen Adams, director of Center for Journal Therapy.

 

First, some Bucko commentary.  I know some people who have been through counseling, or as I recently wrote about a co-worker who had some difficulty with another co-worker, “Unsent Letters” or other forms of writing and expressing your feelings was been recommended.  Certainly, this is a good forum, but alas, some people have so much pent up anger, that this is not enough of an outlet, and they cannot resist the urge to lash out.  Venting can be healthy, but if you cannot vent without lashing out, then all you accomplish is to make yourself look foolish.  As I have written many times here in my journal, we find J-Land to be a very positive place, and we resist the urge to be negative or to lash out.  Please note that, just as this entry demonstrates, this does not prevent us from expressing our opinions.  So, without further ado, here is a paraphrase of the article.  My thoughts are shown in red.

 

“Writing in a journal is not just a way to keep track of daily life – it actually can make you happier, more successful, even healthier.  Example: A study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that writing about stressful experiences in a journal relieves stress and thus increases the body’s immune response, reducing the impact of chronic conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma.”  The article does produce a trap statement – “People who write only about difficult life circumstances in their journals sometimes find that the process makes them feel worse, not better.”  My advice is to make sure that you balance positives and negatives as you write your journal, talking about pleasurable events or thoughts can only bring a smile to your face and positive endorphins into your system :o)

 

The article documents seven effective journaling strategies:

 

1.                 Unsent Letters: useful if you are angry or unhappy with someone in your life.  Useless if you write and deliver the message!

2.                 The Five Minute Sprint: useful if you feel stressed or overwhelmed.  This should actually help you feel more organized and in control.

3.                 Listing: useful if you suffer from depression or low self-esteem or are feeling overwhelmed.  This requires you to identify things you are thankful for or that bring you pleasure :o)

4.                 Emotional Release: useful if you feel that you have not recovered from an emotionally difficult or stressful event in your past.  Unfortunately, some people find the need to use this method in J-Land, when the method is actually designed to be private.  The intent is to leave the baggage behind you, not to make it available to the public.

5.                 Dialogue: useful if you are interested in improving your relationships.  This is definitely how Beth and I use J-Land :o)

6.                 Weight Control: useful if you are trying to lose weight.  This deals with documenting the calories you consume, your feelings and awareness, and your habits.

7.                 Captured Moments: useful if you feel stressed, anxious, or depressed.  For this “useful” description, I take umbrage.  I think that a Captured Moment is an opportunity to share joy and pleasantness, again, something that this J-Land Duo endeavor for each and every day :o)

 

Disclaimer: this was a paraphrase of an article that I read.  If you feel any anxiety, please consider that this is not directed toward you.  As I have said, our J-Land community, for the most part, finds the positives in each of the seven journaling strategies.  So, in honor of the AOL Journals anniversary [click here to go to Magic Smoke], this is my contribution to our J-Land Community.

Tags: blogplugs, journaling, anger, stress, overwhelmed