The truth about therapy is that most of the work will be done outside of session on your personal time. We can only accomplish so much in a hour a week (or less for some people) which is why most of us ask for a buy in, an understanding of the commitment required to get the most benefit out of therapy. Most therapists I have met assign some type of homework for between sessions. Sometimes homework includes completing a worksheet or doing a task decided on together in session and sometimes it is simply to reflect on a difficult topic discussed or work on awareness of a problem behavior.
Journaling is a common homework assignment in therapy and it’s one I like to try with clients due to it’s versatility. I often get groans and eye rolls at the mere mention of this healthy habit which causes me to ask “Why the negative response to journaling?” The most common reasons I have gotten include:
- I don’t like to write
- I never know what to say
- I doesn’t help anyway
- I used to but have a hard time remembering / got out of the habit
There are many misconceptions when it comes to journaling but probably the most common is that the only way to use a journal is to write about what happened at the end of your day in a “Dear diary” format. While this is a legitimate type of journaling, there are many other ways to use and benefit from a journal. In this post, I am going to introduce you to 3 of my favorite types of journaling that I frequently use with my clients.
1. Gratitude Journaling
Gratitude journaling is good for improving self-image and overall life satisfaction. There have been research studies suggesting that gratitude journaling can improve mental health (here and here) and studies showing a relationship between gratitude and improved physical health (here and here).
This is probably my favorite type of journaling and might be the easiest option for anyone who wants to get started. Set aside about 5 minutes at the end of the day to list 3-5 things that make you feel grateful . That’s it, no long writing assignments, no lengthy descriptions, just a few bullets to help you wrap up your day on a positive note.
2. Tracking Daily Highs and Lows
Similar to gratitude journaling, understanding that no day is inherently good or bad can be helpful for daily reflection and personal awareness. In addition to the daily benefits, seeing daily problems in the journal over time can help you realize “I survived something every day, I can survive this too” when faced with a new problem. It can be uplifting to review these journals and see something positive each day of your past.
This one is super simple and quick. Take a few minutes at the end of each day and jot down one thing that was tough or painful then jot down one thing that added value or joy to your day. That’s it!
3. Art Journaling
There are many benefits to art as therapy. Being expressive and creative is great for self-esteem, it is a healthy outlet for strong emotions (uplifting or painful!) and significant life experiences, and it is great alternative for those folks who don’t like to write! In addition to it’s benefits, art journaling is amazing because it includes so many options. Here are just a few ways to use art journaling: (stay tuned for another post all about art journaling!)
- Draw, paint or doodle based on a one word prompts, here is a link to an article with 365 of these prompts from Art Journalist!
- Collage with magazines
- Black out all but a few words on a page from a book or magazine article to create a poem
- Draw or paint how you are feeling
- Take pictures of places/items/people who illicit emotions or thoughts for later reflection
Journaling is a wonderful way to explore and process on your own time and in your own way. There are several other ways to journal that I will talk about in future posts but these are by far my favorite.
Was there a time you tried journaling and it helped you? Have you had a bad experience with journaling and want to try a new way? Post any comments or questions you have below and as always, thanks for reading!
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