As someone who loves to write, I have always felt that there is something a little bit magical about getting words down on paper (or typed into a computer). That ‘magic’ is probably the stress relief that occurs when you allow yourself to make sense of the thoughts in your own head. Journaling can be especially beneficial as a preventative treatment for stress.

Giving yourself 15 or more minutes a day to vent helps get the busy, sometimes overwhelming, thoughts out of your head and into the real world. Once on paper, you have a visual representation to sort through. The trick to this is to keep from self-editing. Your journal should be private so that you don’t feel the need to write with a particular voice, agonize over grammar and spelling, or worry about hurting someone’s feelings. This is a time to focus on how you feel, not just on the factual events. Allow yourself to ramble, writing without inhibition. This is about you being totally yourself, so there is no wrong way to go about it.

Expressive writing has also been shown to help after people experience a traumatic event. Taking time to express not only what happened, but how you felt about what happened, can help organize your thoughts on the incident and give it meaning. Writing about traumatic events should be done with caution as our brains need time to process what happened. Psychologists suggest waiting at least two months after a traumatic event before writing about it. Often times opening up to yourself about what happened will give you the tools needed to open up to others, meaning that writing about a traumatic event could help you reach out to a support group which helps with the healing process.

Remember that writing isn’t a replacement for professional help. If you are suffering from depression, or thoughts and feelings that you don’t think you can handle on your own, working with a therapist or life coach can provide a much deeper level of support and healing.

Sources: Harvard Health Publications, Everyday Health, Healthy Women, and Psychology Today.

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The Life Change Institute believes in restoring our clients to their optimum state of health and wellness and in establishing personal skills and practices to prevent future ill health and trauma.