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I’ve recently discovered journaling, and I’ve found there is power in a pencil and paper.

My parents first suggested I keep a journal years ago to improve my writing. Though I scoffed at the idea then, I began journaling mere weeks ago and immediately enjoyed both a perceived sense of improved writing and mental health. 

In my life, journaling has become more akin to meditation than essay writing. Evidently, the practice offers comparable mental health benefits to mainstream stress-relieving activities. 

In the past year, health experts have stressed the need for activities that boost one’s mental health. Main outlets to do so include grounding exercises, which are activities done to relieve stress and anxiety. These include leisurely and widely accessible activities, which journaling falls under. Such activities are linked to better health and well-being. For myself, journaling became that outlet for my stress-relief.

It is important to understand the catalyst for such a rise in psychological stress is the social isolation of lockdowns. Social isolation is known to cause mental health issues among people. Without the proper coping mechanisms to deal with such a tremendous change as pandemic lockdowns, well-being can be harmed. 

For myself, social isolation subsequently came with a difficult sense of loneliness. However, thousands of others faced more troubling situations. Those with pre-existing mental health disorders faced even worse experiences during quarantine. Picking up a new hobby was not a mere choice in the past year, it was a necessity to deal with stressors. 

Even more so, developing the proper coping mechanisms to deal with stress and anxiety is important. While millions can turn to workout routines to relieve stress, turning to journaling can accomplish some of the same psychological effects.

Feeling content and fulfilled is key to reducing stress. Studies show fulfillment significantly changes one’s psychological health. Additionally, those who are the most fulfilled particularly note the state of their social relationships as a main reason for their contentedness. Yet, in times of social isolation, seeking fulfillment is harder. Although journaling is not social, it can be a step toward feeling grounded and happier. In fact, experts point to journaling as a major way to feel more content with your daily life and healthier. In my own experience, this has been the case.

Over lockdown, I never considered the moment I was living in as it truly was. The loneliness of lockdown drowned out my own ability to meaningfully reflect upon each day. For lack of better words, social isolation drove me to an existential crisis in my 20-year-old life. I needed a fulfilling way to relieve such stress, and other exercises and routines never felt like enough. Rather, reflecting upon my daily life through journaling helped me turn my thoughts into coherent ideas and feelings. 

One of the main benefits of journaling is that it can help people make sense of and cope with what they experience, experts say. The ability to reflect upon daily life is a major necessity for understanding the causes of stress. And with today’s constant news cycle, such a skill can make a huge difference in how one feels.

The practice of writing in a journal is not as complex a task as I thought, especially when compared to alternative stress relieving activities. Jotting words in a notebook is subjective to the individual. Outside the constraints of essay writing, you are free from the constraints of word limits, minimums or deadlines. Journaling is up to the individual to create meaning.

Today, I reap the benefits of a clearer mind, and as much as my past self would be surprised, I have substantially improved my writing. I implore those who are struggling to cope with the stressors of daily life to keep a daily journal for a week — it could be the difference to living a more fulfilling life.

Harrison Vogt is a sophomore environment sustainability policy and communication and rhetorical studies dual major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at hevogt@syr.edu. He can be followed on Twitter at @VogtHarrison.

Published on March 8, 2021 at 10:01 pm