Journaling

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This week launches our first in a set of weekly tips on managing your mental health and self-care. This week’s topic is journaling….

I know, I know. Your first thought is probably “Ewww. Ick” and thoughts of “Dear Diary…..” But, journaling is a lot more than that. Journaling is a technique used throughout history by great scholars to capture their ideas, process their thoughts, and to record their experiences. Some of them include Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Darwin, Marie Curie, Frida Kahlo, and Emilie’ Davies. It’s even been used by modern celebrities such as Lady Gaga, John Batiste, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Journaling doesn’t have to take a long time or require any specific notebook. You can do something as short as five minutes a day in a Google doc or on a plain piece of paper. It’s all about taking the time to connect and check in with yourself and what’s on your mind. It lets us to clear the static and open up the full processing power of our minds. It can increase focus, memory, and even improve your mood. And, in a pandemic, it allows us to vent when we might not otherwise be able to connect with someone to talk about things with.

There are several types of journal styles out there:

  • Freewriting – Allows you to simply “brain dump” everything as it flows through your mind.
  • Gratitude journal – Helps you focus on the positive things in life rather than fall prey to our predisposition of negativity bias.
  • Bullet journal – Allows you to organize your life and prioritize everything from your personal goals to your daily to-do list.
  • Mood journal – A tracking system for your moods and thoughts designed to help you understand your emotions and make changes to improve your mood.
  • Dream journal – A way of tracking your dreams each night to see what’s on your mind and to write down any ideas you had.
  • Finance journal – Allows you to keep track of where you’re spending your money and to think about where you’d like to be spending your money (ie. Travel, fun, etc.).
  • And, a whole bunch more!

Personally, I’m a huge fan of freewriting for clearing my head and simply venting into my computer using Pages or Word. I’ve also kept a gratitude journal last semester to help me keep a positive attitude. My favorite, though, is a bullet journal. I organize my entire life using a bullet journal – calendar, to do list, important meeting notes, grocery lists, and a ton of other random lists. There are a bunch of sample formats that you can find using a quick Google search or on Pinterest to get you started. But, use whichever method or methods work best for you! If you want to know more, check out the resources below or drop me an email.

-Dr. M


Resources:

“20 Types of Journals to Keep”
https://www.intelligentchange.com/blogs/read/20-types-of-journals-to-keep

“83 Benefits of Journaling for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress”
https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-journaling/

“The Isolation Journals”
https://www.theisolationjournals.com

“The Bullet Journal”
https://bulletjournal.com

Freewrite Fridays with Professor Youmans – Fridays 12:30-1:30pm
LINK:

https://richardbland.zoom.us/j/97635406380?pwd=RTVIT2Y4RU56dUpHaVdvYXloMjQzQT09







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