A powerful tool for introspection
Research supports the benefits of journaling, and psychologists vouch for its mental health perks
When I was a child, there was an old Godrej wardrobe in my house that would pique my curiosity about its contents. It was kept locked and opened only once a year during Deepavali cleaning when we would be in school. Did it hold some riches, I wondered.
As days passed, the curiosity grew. Sensing my restlessness, my father threw it open for us one day.
The mouldering diaries inside took me entirely by surprise. Why did my family hide this junk?
Interestingly, the ink on those yellow, moist sheets of paper was still legible, and the diaries sang the tune of my family’s bygone golden era. Written in neat handwriting with a fountain pen, the letters were a testament to various family affairs — struggles, friendships, and collective decisions taken.
Today, research supports the benefits of journaling, and psychologists vouch for its mental health perks.
In a book titled Opening Up by Writing It Down, Pennebaker and Smyth survey the scientific history of expressive writing, its benefits, and how to make it work for you. They say that in the moments of feeling stuck, this powerful writing practice can get you out of the vortex of confusion and initiate a process of healing.
Exploring the emotionally challenging events in your life and writing about them continuously for 20 minutes can give you an authentic cathartic experience. This venting exercise can help connect the dots of myriad feelings and bring closure to an unpleasant experience.
Healing trauma
This is useful not only in expressive writing but also for a brilliant psychological exploration of our deepest thoughts, dreams, traumas, desires, and secrets. It also proves to be a great sleep inducer.
But unlike what many of us think, the beneficial aspect of journaling does not end here. Reading what you have put on paper and tracing where your thoughts lead you to gives a peek into your personality — how confused, insecure, or solutionoriented you are. It helps you step back and create a distance between the chain of thoughts you have just unleashed on paper and a clear mind. When this happens, the problemsolving appears more straightforward, and the targets seem more achievable.
Just like microplanning helps manage time better with an effective backup plan ready beforehand, tracing our thoughts and distancing them from us can help pluck out emotional weeds if we practise this process daily.