Journaling

“OMG… Dan is having a mid-life crisis, and is trying to get his crap together…”

What is Journaling?

Writing down thoughts and feelings to understand them more clearly.

Why?

Help gain control of emotions and improve mental health.

Creates awareness

Writing down feelings about a difficult situation can help you understand it better. Putting an experience into words and structure allows you to form new perceptions about events.

Regulates emotions

Brain scans of people who wrote about their feelings showed that they were able to control their emotions better than those who wrote about a neutral experience. This study also found that writing about feelings in an abstract way was more calming than writing vividly.

Encourages opening up

Writing privately about a stressful event could encourage some to reach out for social support. This can help with emotional healing.

How to Journal

Analog

Digital

Types of Journaling

There are various ways to journal. I’ve used the following methods:

• Free Writing

  Write continuously for a set period of time with limited concern for rhetoric and mechanics.

• Reflective

  Reflecting on certain experiences to help you better understand them.

• Gratitude

  Keeping track of things you are grateful for.

Emotional Intelligence – SASHET

Situations typically fall into six emotional caetegories:

Thanks

• Health Benefits of Journaling
• SASHET
• My talk on Anxiety, Drepression, and Panic-attacks