Q: My friend has told me that I should journal. Can you give me some tools to get started?
A: It’s so easy for the mind to become overwhelmed with massive thoughts, worries, and even obsessions. Without releasing these powerful thoughts and emotions, they will get stuffed and you are likely to explode or become depressed from carrying around so much.
As a coping strategy, journaling offers you a way to release the thoughts on paper. Think of it as a healthy catharsis for releasing what all you have been carrying around.
We know that certain thoughts and frustrations are prone to toxicity and this is not good for the soul. You want to release those toxic emotions asap. Often you will find that when you write your thoughts and feelings down on paper, you will gain greater insights and possible solutions to what were referred to as problems or difficult situations you now can contemplate resolving by looking at what you wrote.
Journaling can also give you a healthier immune system. We all seem to be looking for ways to improve our immune system these days.
If you decide to journal for a long period of time, you can get them out and read them and notice certain patterns in your life that you chose to keep or discard. You may see how much progress you have made it certain situations.
Some people even go on to write poetry and clear the chaos that was infiltrating their minds. Also, composing letters (a message of resolution) or even just making lists to organize your thought processes can be of help.
It’s certainly worth exploring and it’s your journal. It is only for you to write and read. There is no good or bad, right or wrong way to journal. It’s all about what goes from the mind to the pen to the paper. Give it a try and see how you like it.