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My guest blogger today is Elise Anderson from the Life Paths Research Program.
We all have that one friend who keeps a perfect journal. Without fail, this person will write down something every day- whether it’s a paragraph, a sentence, or a few pages, it’s as habitual to them as showering or drinking coffee in the morning. The act of expressive writing is ingrained, a daily unpacking of one’s feelings onto paper.
I am not one of those people. I have tried (and failed) to keep a journal probably twenty-one times in my twenty-one years. My left-handed, chicken-scratch handwriting doesn’t look as nice as those picture-perfect journals I see my friends keep. I always set out with the best intentions, and I succeed for about a week. Then, life gets in the way, and I prioritize that extra fifteen minutes of sleep over writing about my day before bed. Let’s face it– when you’ve had a hard day, all you really want to do is forget about it and start over tomorrow.
We’ve all heard that journaling is a beneficial thing to do. People always say, “You’ll want to know what you were thinking and feeling thirty years down the road!” While that is certainly true, reflective writing carries immediate mental health benefits, too. Research conducted by Pennebaker (1997) suggests that those who wrote about traumatic events boasted significant mental health improvements. Basically, we are more able to process our experiences in a healthy way when we put them down on paper (Pennebaker, 1997; Baikie & Wilhelm, 2005). Sure, thinking about your feelings is helpful, but creating a tangible manifestation of our current mental state helps us to move toward our authentic selves in a more meaningful way.
Dr. Hamby’s blog post on narrative writing inspired me to challenge myself to make journal writing a part of my daily routine. Here are three tips to keep in mind while working toward consistent journal writing:
1. Two minutes a day
You don’t need to write for hours every day. Even two minutes of writing is better than none! Try keeping a small memo pad with you wherever you go. The next time you’re feeling anxious, scribble down a few thoughts about why you’re feeling that way. The simple act of writing will tie you to the present moment and ground your anxious mind. A portable notepad will also allow you to scribble down thoughts and feelings when something really wonderful happens.
2. Don’t be a perfectionist
This will be the biggest hurdle for me. When I write, I find myself encumbered by my own perfectionism. I search for the perfect word, scratch out awkward sentences, silently chastise myself for misspelling a word– but here’s the truth: grammar doesn’t matter. What does matter is getting the words on paper. If the words contain authenticity and vulnerability, it really doesn’t matter if they’re grammatically perfect. And my less-than-perfect handwriting is just fine, too.
3. Be vulnerable
The more meaningful the topic is to you, the more likely you are to experience positive benefits from a narrative. This might seem obvious, but being honest with yourself about what you’re really feeling isn’t always easy. Don’t sugarcoat your feelings. Be vulnerable with yourself.
If you miss a day, don’t sweat it (see rule #2). It’s not a race or competition; even if you manage to write once or twice a week, that’s better than not writing at all!
Young adulthood is a maze of uncertainty; while exciting, this life stage is inherently anxiety-inducing– as a rising senior in college, I have no clue where I will be or what I will be doing this time next year. Instead of suppressing anxious feelings about my future and pretending that everything is peachy and nothing is bad, I’m going to sit with my anxiety by acknowledging it on paper. In doing so, I will sharpen my emotional clarity and gain a stronger sense of self.
Learn more about the Laws of Life Essay and resilience at http://lifepathsresearch.org. The Life Paths research described here was conducted by Sherry Hamby, Elizabeth Taylor, John Grych, and Victoria Banyard.
This project was made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.
References:
Balkie, K.A. & Wilhelm, K. (2005). Emotional and Physical Health Benefits of Expressive Writing. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 11, 338-346.
Pennebaker, J. (1997). Writing about Emotional Experiences as a Therapeutic Process. Psychological Science, 8(3), 162-166.
