Writing is a beautiful art. The swivel of a pen sailing smoothly across paper, creating symbols of meaning and power. The most important scriptures and documents have all been written, in numerous languages describing numerous cultures. However, writing isn’t just an art to write stories and constitutions, but also an act of selfcare. Journaling is an incredible tool for therapy, especially for teenagers navigating life.
Benefits of Journaling
Journaling is regular and expressive writing, typically in a journal, on one’s experiences and feelings. It provides an outlet for honest emotions, as well as a place to describe genuine concerns or questions. It can also be used to document an individual’s life, to be used as a memoir of sorts.
Journaling has been scientifically proven to have a variety of benefits, both mentally and physically. In a study (outlined here), an experimental group was given 20 minutes to write about a traumatic event over the course of 3-4 days. At the end of the experiment, the group showed substantial improvement in immunity, physical health, and fewer illnesses. The weight of mental illness on the body is heavy, and it often plummets immunity and allows sickness, decreasing the physical health of the body as well. Trauma provides that same burden, and lifting that weight increases physical strength. Journaling as therapy helps increase, not only mental wellbeing, but physical wellbeing as well.
It also acts as brain exercise. Journaling channels the creative mind, a part of our natural intelligence that is often neglected. Writing gives you a break for phones, laptops, and mundane work to focus on something far more interesting. It stimulates our brain into thinking creatively, increasing brain power and your mind’s abilities.
Journaling as Teen Therapy
Journaling is one of the best methods of therapy for any teenager to practice. While there is embarrassment surrounding ideas like diaries, the truth is that these are genuine and helpful ways to let out emotion.
As teens, we experience much stress and anxiety, and navigating life can and will seem to be a challenge. The complexities of emotions, no matter how shallow, can be hard to decipher, and getting thoughts down on paper will make things much clearer. Plenty of times, our emotional imbalances and mood swings can cause us to lash out at others unreasonably. As the HHS (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) has described, adolescents are more likely to feel emotion intensely, and far more easily swayed by it. Poor decision making is a result of the power that emotions have over the teenage mind, and emotions can be released unnecessarily and hurtfully as well.
Journaling is relatively easy, as there is no need to be an incredible author to journal. All you need is a pencil and paper, or even a device, to write on, and something to write about. Journaling is also extremely cost effective as well, compared to many other forms of therapy. Virtually everyone has a pen and paper, and that makes the therapy practically free.
It is also quite similar to traditional therapy, but rather than talking to someone, you are simply writing it out for yourself. Social anxiety is rampant among adolescents, with 1 out of 3 teens between the ages of 13 and 18 years align with symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Talking to someone you know, let alone an outside entity like a therapist, can be extremely difficult for the hundreds of teenagers who experience SAD. Fear of judgment, openness, or even just talking can prevent teenagers from receiving the therapy they need. Instead of having to dread talking to someone about your problems, you can just write out in a journal, releasing all your thoughts and emotions in a place only you can see it.
There is no need to have “serious” problems to journal. It is very common to feel as if the negativity you are facing isn’t bad enough to seek therapy, or is something petty that will just go away. However, if it is something that does bother you, it needs fixing, but doesn’t need to garner the attention that it would get if you had to tell someone else. Your journal is something that you can keep to yourself, as a way to talk about your problems without staying stuck in your head. If there are any issues that are truly serious but you are not ready to talk to someone, journaling can help you feel more aware of your emotions. In time, journaling about your issues can help you gain the confidence to talk to someone and get the help you really need.
Journaling is a healthy habit that can stay with you for a long time. You can keep journaling as you grow older, even when your problems start to fade. Journaling is very beneficial, even for people who feel they are fine. In fact, research suggests that journaling works best for those who don’t want to journal, or feel that they don’t need it. Journaling can be very helpful for adulthood. Yes, the stress we feel as teenagers is jarring and overwhelming, but that stress only continues into adulthood. Journaling well into your older years can help you stay aware of yourself and your needs, as therapy always works best long term.
How To Journal
As mentioned before, journaling is quite simple. However, it is understandable if you need some guidance in getting started with journaling. So, here are the steps and tips.
1. Get a fresh journal to write in
It’s always nice to start with a clean slate. There’s no need to write on old notebooks with random pages of chicken scratch. Also, it’ll feel nicer to dedicate a journal to just your journaling, and there is no point in making your thoughts on paper just as disorganized as they are in your mind.
2. Pick a time to write
Make sure writing is a part of your schedule. You can’t brush it off like it’s another hobby. As useless as it might feel to be at first, it’s important to stay consistent with your writing. The best way to do so is by setting specific time to write, like directly after school or before going to bed. Also make sure to have a set time for your journaling. It is best to allow yourself 10-30 minutes of journaling time, and to journal at that same time limit every session.
3. Pick something to write about
When you’re starting, it can be quite hard to know where to start with writing. There can be too many topics at once or not any at all. No matter the case, it is important to see a direction in your writing. Once your journaling session has started, pick an event, thought, or emotion you would like to highlight. Make sure to write about nothing but that. This will improve your focus and clarity, even if it is just on that one topic. It is better to organize that one thought than write about millions of others to end up with a page as messy as your mind.
4. Don’t stop
Try to never skip a day of journaling. No matter how mundane your day may seem it is essential to continue journaling everyday at your set time. Not only would it become a habit, but it can help you reduce the boringness of your day at hand. Journaling greatly boosts creativity. Not having something to journal about can help you create a topic, leading to generation of new and innovative ideas.
Also, consistently following something no matter how much you don’t feel like doing it will improve your dedication. Dedication is a requirement for anything you do in life, and journaling can prepare you for that. However, there is no need to beat yourself over a missed say. All you need to do is make sure you can get back up for the next day.
Conclusion
Journaling is a very smart habit to practice. It can help with your mental clarity and emotional stability, and provide therapy with little cost or drawbacks. Now you have all the essentials—how to get started, why to keep going, and everything you need to make journaling a powerful habit. So, if you want to start journaling, what are you waiting for? There is nothing to stop you now!