Diary writing can be therapeutic

Journals or diaries are excellent ways of getting in touch with your inner feelings and coming to terms with a problem or a trauma

By Mita Bhan

A study done revealed that victims of illness and trauma, healed faster if they wrote down their experiences and challenges in a guided and systematic way. Recent research suggests that writing about traumatic experiences can have a measurable positive effect on the immune system and improve conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and asthma.

Journal writing also works as a form of meditation, bringing peace within, boosting emotional health and allowing one’s self to focus on the big picture. There are a number of benefits to this practice including relaxation, stress release, problem solving, giving expression to suppressed emotions, self discipline, and refreshing and rejuvenating the mind. A powerful healing tool, journal writing has helped many patients deal with difficult issues and live with debilitating diseases.

How you can start

• Pick out a nice notebook or pen that suits your style and keep the journal nearby.
• You may like to begin with a short meditation or you could reflect on a problem, a challenging situation or an emotion within.
• Start writing down your thoughts and go with the flow. Don't worry about spelling or grammatical errors; just write freely, with the intent to heal yourself.
• Even writing a list of words, which describe how you feel, can be therapeutic. Allow yourself to feel the power of the emotion while writing and allow this exercise to work as a cathartic tool especially when you are feeling blocked.
• Over time you'll be able to look back and monitor your growth with a record of your moods, feelings and challenges.
• Writing doesn't necessarily have to be in prose. Writing poetry to describe your feelings, or a letter, which you may never need to send are examples of different writing forms which can work towards inner healing and peace.

Pic: René de Cock