All it takes is a pen and a notepad; that’s all you need. Writing what you feel can be a powerful tool to understand what enhances coping skills. Trying to accomplish something like self-improvement is much easier when there are written thoughts born from careful analysis. When one considers family conflict, merely ‘winging it’ is not as effective as using a journal for better mental and emotional clarity while validating one’s feelings. Journalizing is a powerful tool for clients to self-reflect and makes positive changes.
Consider the difficulty of cooking a great dinner without having the recipes and instructions written down. Your mother may explain anywhere from five to ten steps that apply to each part of the meal. “Let me tell you how to cook the roast; then, I shall explain the nuances of poatoe-au-graten. Next, I will tell you how to bake the bread; then, I will tell you all about preparing the perfect peach cobbler piet’. When she is done, it is up to you to memorize and have at it! Wouldn’t you be more likely to overcook or undercook the meal if you’ve never done it before and had no way of referencing all of mom’s instructions?
Much like a carefully written recipe book, a journal is a powerful way of writing down and analyzing your feelings and emotions at a given moment. When a client begins journal therapy, a few paragraphs are written to express feelings about what is happening in their life. “I feel anger when others criticize me unfairly’. ‘When my coworker accuses me of not doing my part, I feel frustrated and want to lash out. The writings are reflective in nature and enable the individual to validate experiences and come to a much richer understanding of self. Such self-reflection can lead to inner healing.
Journal therapy can be a powerful technique when one is dealing with trauma, illness, addiction, or family conflict. Writing can help an individual heal from an unlimited number of topics. As we focus on what we write, we contemplate feelings and why such feelings occur. “Hmm, I notice a pattern that every time I receive criticism, I feel like being defensive.” “I also notice that when He doesn’t speak in the morning, I become distant and uncaring’. As one writes, a mind-feeling connection begins to manifest.
An essential function of journal therapy is one’s ability to understand issues and how to best deal with them genuinely. Many clients who have participated in journal therapy have reported long-term benefits of self-awareness, a sense of inner peace, and less stress. Capturing feelings at the moment is an excellent opportunity for a mirror image of our feelings. Just as dieters who write down every calorie tend to lose more weight, writing down feelings in moments of sadness or stress is essential to losing weight of stress, anger, and anxiety.
At Commitment to Hope, our therapists can empower you to write journals for self-reflection. You can gain better emotional clarity and validated feelings. We serve all of Ohio through telehealth therapy. In addition, our therapists have offices in Cleveland, Toledo, and Canton. Our team is eager to assist you: please make an appointment.
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