I’m sure you’re all familiar with the concept of journaling; it’s simple, you grab a journal and jot down goals, reflect on your day, draw.. typically anything goes. However, new research on journal writing therapy demonstrates that curating what to write in your journal can directly improve your mental health.
“Whether you’re keeping a journal or writing as a meditation, it’s the same thing. What’s important is you’re having a relationship with your mind.” – Natalie Goldberg
When I’ve tried journaling in the past, it felt most natural to just sit down with my journal and let my thoughts flow; whatever I wanted to write I just dumped it on the page. This sort of brain-dump often feels good while you’re doing it, but there’s little evidence to show that this directly improves your mental wellbeing. So what should we journal about?
One easy way to guide your journaling is to follow the acronym W.R.I.T.E.
W.R.I.T.E.
W – What do you want to journal about?
R – Reflect on it. Start with “I want…” “I feel…” “Today…”
I – Investigate your thoughts. Re-read what you’ve written and continue writing.
T – Time yourself. Write for 5-15 minutes, set an alarm to remind you when to stop.
E – Exit smart by re-reading what you’ve written and reflect on it in a few sentences: “I’m aware of…” “As I read this, I notice…”
In Summary:
W hat topic?
R eview/reflect
I nvestigate
T ime yourself
E xit smart
It’s as easy as that. Doing this practice every day has been proven to be effective in helping people identify and accept their emotions, manage their stress and ease symptoms of depression.
As the quote from Natalie Goldberg mentions, “what’s important is you’re having a relationship with your mind.” Here at CARAVAN, we believe that it’s important to work on mindfulness throughout your day. Whether you’re interested in working on managing stress, easing symptoms of mental illness or just want a good relationship with your mind, working on mindfulness is a great way to increase your overall wellbeing. Our videos on mindfulness also teach us how Meditative Journaling can be beneficial to increase mindfulness in your daily life.
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