Dr. Ted Corbould, PsyD
Journal Writing for Better Mental Health
Can journal writing provide relief to mental health issues? Yes! Research shows that journaling 4-7 times a week can reduce depression/anxiety and other psychological illnesses. Writing helps unlock a person's ability to live more in control of their lives and achieve improved mental health.
Positive writing focuses on the positive aspects of a person's life, including positive experiences or personal strengths. When people better see how they have overcome challenges, they become more equipped to deal with current issues and problems.
Expressive journaling enables people to understand their issues more clearly or realize problems they perhaps did not. They can better understand their own ‘truth' about what they want in life. With this new insight, a plan is devised to overcome life's barriers with greater clarity and ease.
References
https://www.rtor.org/2021/04/24/the-benefits-of-journaling-for-mental-health/
https://www.rtor.org/2020/11/17/combat-rumination-through-mindfulness-and-expressive-writing/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3759583/
Suhr, M., Risch, A. K., & Wilz, G. (2017). Maintaining Mental Health Through Positive Writing: Effects of a Resource Diary on Depression and Emotion Regulation. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 73(12), 1586–1598. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22463
Disclaimer
The content of this YouTube channel is for educational purposes only. The views expressed represent Dr. Corbould's opinions only. They cannot be used or seen for medical advice, diagnostic or treatment purposes. Engaging the content does not create any doctor-patient relationship. Please consult with a doctor or other qualified healthcare professional with questions you may have regarding your medical condition. Dr. Corbould will not assume any liability for any direct or indirect losses or damages (e.g., illness, injury, economic loss, or death) that may result from using the information contained in this channel. Use of such information is strictly at your own risk.
dealing with mental health issues can be complex and easily overwhelm a person a person going through a divorce quitting a job dealing with the death of a loved one such things can be challenging especially when emotions come into play simply put a person can feel very overloaded how to deal journal writing is an excellent way that can help a person to unpack their issues and problems see things in a better light and put together a plan to move forward dr ted here and welcome back or welcome to the channel today's topic how journaling can help deal with mental health issues for some people writing down their thoughts may make them wonder how can this help them especially when they're going through a divorce or dealing with an addiction some might find it disturbing and painful to write about their thoughts quite understandable people tend to want to avoid pain but the more we suppress our pain our thoughts the more they tend to reappear and can become more robust in their intensity we need to overcome this we need to break free problems can be intense and very mentally driven using cognitive strategies such as problem solving reassessing and acceptance are very helpful reassessing for example can help reframe or rethink an event helping to lower levels of negativity thus increasing levels of positivity for example i'm losing my job next week life is terrible instead say losing my job won't kill me i will only find a better job ask yourself whether this is that terrible writing out such positive statements and questioning beliefs can help you reshape your thinking and see things more in a positive light positive writing can focus on the positive aspects of a person's life the positive experiences that they have during the day or the personal strengths that they possess that allow them to for example overcome challenges for example what are the positive experiences that you've had today think on your work day today or your school life did you do something that really allowed you to be successful or did you just have a good day what made it a good day positive writing allows for this reflection of the positive aspects of one's character or their living situation what they encounter every day and what they are able to overcome people start to develop over time when doing this writing better access to their internal resources in terms of abilities that they have mental processes skills and talents that allow them to achieve their needs but also to overcome problems they see for example in the past that they were able to overcome things challenges therefore they see i have these abilities i have these skills i can do it again let's call this positive potential the more you recognize your potential for dealing with problem situations the easier it becomes to deal with them thus allowing you to shorten maybe negative moods that you would have when a situation comes up that is not good or a problem situation positive writing tips think about your day think about your week what went well write it down have regular times for writing and regular spaces for writing so that could be maybe first thing in the morning you go to the table you got your journal out you're doing your work kind of get you into that routine that groove practice this writing four to seven times at least a week get you moving get you going get you into that routine in addition to positive writing expressive writing or expressive journaling can help this type of writing enables you to better see and understand issues that perhaps you did not before with this new insight you can better plan your life based on this newfound understanding when working with people over the years i've come to notice that they can become very consumed in their issues and emotions which cause them always to be up in their heads getting these issues out of their heads and onto paper or onto a screen can make things more concrete verse again being always up in your head and having various scenarios and ideas always coming in and out people when they have things written down they can see things as more real maybe before that they didn't see for example john has been unhappy with his job for years now but makes ongoing excuses to continue on with it he starts to wray out his feelings and thoughts he starts to see for the first time that despite all his attempts to justify his job it's just not fulfilling his reasons come out along with the suffering such reasons cause he concludes that he can cannot continue on such writing allows for understanding how and why you're feeling the way you do you can then set goals to move beyond your present position or in john's case beyond his present job writing allows you to uncover truths or problems that perhaps you are not fully aware of you become more knowledgeable about these internal resources that you have that can help you deal with issues more confidently goal setting allows you to move forward and beyond your current state of dissatisfaction journal writing is free and accessible to all give it a try and see what you discover about yourself as always wishing you the best mental health wherever you are in the world until the next video take care i better get back to my journal writing want more content on mental health have a look at this video [Music]
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Thank you doc 🫡 its so helpful
I liked the pop ups. It made it interesting and they were relevant and held my attention. Often, just talking into the camera can make the presentation boring and long winded. And the advice given was great. Thank you
when i write my thouths go speeding much more than my hand lrn and paper, what sucks and i stop write 😢
Making up positive statements to counteract negative statements is no guaranty of a positve future outcome. Your advice is stupid, no different than simply lying.
Good suggestion
Thanx doc!!
How can someone with anxiety start journaling. The very task causes anxiety: I am not doing it right, it's a waste of time, someone will read my journal, etc…
Thanks for this.