Whether we are working on our mental health or just trying to grow as a person, journaling can be a helpful practice. Below are some possible ways that journaling might be of benefit.
- Freeing up our working memory. If we are trying to sleep or trying to concentrate on other things it can be helpful to write down the things that we are thinking about. Doing this frees up your working memory (if a computer analogy is helpful, you can think of this as your random-access memory or RAM), which allows your brain to rest or focus on more pressing issues.
- Record daily thoughts and events. Keeping a record of daily thoughts and events can help us to discover themes in our thinking or problem areas in our life. The therapeutic process is aided by becoming aware of these things and addressing them in the therapy session. When this journaling includes our attempts at using therapeutic techniques it allows us to see if we are progressing, stagnating, or regressing.
- Taking note of things we would like to improve upon. It can be helpful at the end of the day to meditate or introspect on the things we wish we would have handled differently. Writing these down allows us to highlight areas for development and think of ways to improve our thinking or our behavior.
- Dream journaling. Dreams can sometimes highlight themes in our thinking or in our unconscious mind. Exploring these in therapy might be helpful if they are recurring, concerning, or distressing. Exploring our dreams may not always have therapeutic benefit but it can be fun and interesting!