I have been journaling since 2001. This is how I use the habit to my advantage.
There exists an abundance of scientific evidence showing the benefits of journaling, especially for specific journaling protocols. Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman discussed one of them on his podcast (linked below). It’s a fascinating episode, but as with most scientific expositions, it both oversells and undersells the solution.
Science oversells because it looks at groups instead of individuals. A statement like, “more than 200 quality peer-reviewed studies…reveal that the positive physical shifts that occur in people that complete this [protocol] are both significant and long-lasting,” makes journaling seem very powerful, but there are many complexities and confounding factors when looking at these outcomes. And many people don’t fit into the average. There are outliers to whom the evidence does not hold true.
The scientific discussion also undersells. It fails to mention any benefits that cannot be quantified or measured. Science does not provide an individual’s perspective and observations. For that reason, I want to share some of my own thoughts on journaling.
My story begins with English class way back in 2001. I wasn’t even a teenager yet. My English teacher would have the class sit in silence for ten or fifteen minutes and write anything we wanted. In those journaling sessions, I discovered my passion for writing.
I looked forward to those few minutes when I could escape into myself and write about the colorful trees I had seen on a bike ride or my plans for summer vacation.
That experience ignited a habit that I have continued ever since. Now, journaling has been with me through all the ups and downs of my life, the good times and the bad times. This leads me to my first point.
Expressing myself in writing has added value to my life, and I certainly would not call it a waste of time. At the same time, though, the simple act of writing does not cure mental, physical, or spiritual ailments. In my experience, it can even exacerbate them.
Journaling is not a magic bullet. It is mirror reflection of the heart. As we write, we are studying that reflection.
If my heart is diseased, my writing will be diseased, and that will reflect again back to my heart. In that case, journaling is no cure.
But if I make a small and positive change in the words I write, that change will reflect to my heart. Then, the next time I write, the light shining from my heart will be a little brighter and the writing will reflect that. It can become a beautiful cycle of healing. But if the changes I make are negative, or if I have a negative mindset and write exactly that (changing nothing), then it can be a tragic cycle.
For that reason, we must see journaling not as a cure all, but as a part of the soil in which we grow. When our soil is full of rocks and thorns, we do not grow well, but when it is rich with dirt and living organisms, we have the conditions we need to thrive.
To develop healthy soil, we must journal the right way. So what is the right way to journal?
There are a couple requirements in order to journal in a way that promotes health and positivity. First, we need a reason for writing. Second, we must strive to reflect reality with honesty.
If we have no reason for writing, we will sit down in front of an empty page and fill it with nothing. We must have a reason. There are many possible reasons for journaling.
Some reasons for journaling:
Whatever the reason is, we most likely will not journal to record a fictional story. That would fall under the definition of fiction writing rather than journaling.
In general, journaling deals with reality. We might write a poem in a journal, but it is likely going to reflect our own reality rather than a fictional or mythical one. And it wouldn’t really be journaling if we set about writing a piece of fiction. Because we are dealing with reality when we journal, we should strive to be honest in our writing.
Honesty is the accurate reflection of reality. It is an excellent guide. As we write honestly about the things of our lives, we have the opportunity to see them with a deeper level of clarity. This leads to the discovery of new insights and revelations.
Many modern day versions of psychotherapy, which are often used for the same purposes as journaling (e.g. self-discovery, solving problems, achieving goals), center around a patient, who is aided by a therapist, in discovering the lies or inaccuracies in their thoughts and beliefs. The prime example of this is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a patient is taught to disrupt or correct faulty thought patterns known as cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions, put simply, are lies we tell ourselves. In working with a therapist, the patient learns to catch these lies before they turn into negative emotions or beliefs. With practice, catching and correcting these lies can heal faulty mental programming and disordered thought patterns.
If we pay careful attention as we write about our experiences, we can catch some of our own cognitive distortions. This happens organically when we strive to write with honesty. The process might look like this.
Okay, that didn’t actually happen - not that I know of - but it gets the point across.
Kanye’s deeper analysis seems messier and less conclusive than “she’s heartless,” but it is a more accurate reflection of reality. Life is messy. There are many things we do not know, many mysteries, and when we accept them, when we write them into our stories, we give them an identity. When something has an identity, we can face it, learn from it, and even embrace it. When it doesn’t have an identity, it is a monster; it cannot be faced or embraced.
In order to help catch cognitive distortions, I made a list (linked here) of common cognitive distortions along with definitions, examples, and ways to correct them.
As we embrace honesty in our writing, we begin to see how complex and magical the world is. This brings us to the greatest aim of journaling.
In my own experience, facing the complexity and mystery and magic of the world, through honest journaling, brought me to my knees. It terrified me. It made me sick and poor.
In order to carry on, I had to acknowledge my lack of understanding, my incompleteness of knowledge, my mortality. When I was in that place of weakness and poverty, I needed God. I needed the aid of the one who knows and understands everything that I cannot know or understand.
When I went to him, in faith, that is when journaling really paid off. I went to him and he was there, and he comforted me. I felt peace deeper than any peace I had ever felt before.
Can someone go to God without journaling? Yes, of course. But we can use journaling as a tool to help us get to the truth, and the truth helps us get to God. God is The Truth, and what better use is there for journaling than as a means for seeking and discovering him?
“I am the way and the truth and the life.”
Jesus Christ, John 14:6
Cognitive Distortions and How to Fix Them