Documenting Emotions
(Billi’s thoughts)
One of the best habits I ever took up was documenting my emotions. In order to get a better understanding of the auto-immune disease I battled, I was asked to document my everyday. This meant writing about what I ate, how I felt mentally, any changes or pains I felt physically, even my bowel movements. It was a lot at first, super overwhelming and exhausting. However as time went on, it became a good addition that taught me so much about myself.
Fast forward to present time, I no longer document such an extensive list of things, but I do have a better understanding of myself - the cycle my moods go in, and why I might be feeling a certain way in a specific timeframe. Having this understanding and ability to relate with myself has really helped build more compassion towards being myself. I selected this article as it really goes in depth about the different layers documenting your emotion has - the struggles it can create, along with all the huge reward it has to offer.
“Emotional Journaling: How to Use Journaling to Process Emotions”
(Edited / shortened for our reading. Check out the full article below)
The Challenge of Understanding Emotions
Emotions form the core of our being and greatly shape our interactions with the world. Emotions themselves do not fall into the categories of “good” or “bad,” as each emotion holds a significant place within the human experience. However, the way we process our emotions can either transform them into negative or positive encounters.
The complexity of emotions often makes it challenging to pinpoint and identify the precise feelings you are undergoing. It is not uncommon to experience a multitude of emotions concurrently, even when they seem to contradict each other regarding a particular issue. If you struggle to differentiate between anger and sadness, it becomes difficult to effectively navigate and resolve these emotions.
Societal and cultural influences can also shape our understanding and expression of emotions. Society often attaches certain expectations or norms to specific emotions, which can lead to suppression, denial, or misinterpretation of our true emotional experiences.
The Benefits of Journaling to Process Emotions
Journaling to process emotions can help you make sense of your feelings, identify them, understand where they originate, and learn how to best respond to them.
For example, if you feel nervous about talking to your employer about a raise in pay, journaling about it may help you recognize where that nervousness comes from. Once you’ve identified the source of your anxiety, you can decide ahead of time how to deal with it and the best approach to the positive outcome you want.
When you spend time journaling to release emotions, you also have an opportunity to see a situation more clearly. Once you pour the rush of feelings into a journal, you can look back at your words to learn more about your actions and reactions. All of this can also help boost your emotional resilience.
In addition to emotional processing, journaling benefits include:
Reduced stress and anxiety
Increased self-awareness
Less rumination (overthinking)
Lower blood pressure
Improved emotional regulation
Fewer negative thoughts
Deepened self-discovery
5 Tips for Effective Emotional Journaling
1. Find a private place.
2. Write for 15-20 minutes.
Writing for 15 to 20 minutes per session is ideal, but if you find this difficult, start with a goal of five minutes and work up to a time limit that feels complete for you. If you find the task of hand-writing difficult or cumbersome, consider a digital journalingmethod.
3. Write without censoring.
4. Use prompts to explore and process emotions.
5. Make journaling a habit.
Whether it’s twice a week or twice a day, it is important to develop a journaling habit. In a sense, journaling is a commitment you make to yourself and your emotional health.
Try experimenting with different times of the day. You may want to write in a traditional paper journal on some days and use a digital tool on others. Especially when you’re first starting out, it’s important to give yourself permission to figure out a routine and approach that keeps you enthusiastic about journaling and works well for you.
10 Emotional Journaling Techniques
There are different types of emotional journaling techniques that can help you get in touch with your emotional self. Each approach has unique benefits. You may want to try different types of expressive writing to keep your journaling process fresh and productive.
1. Stream of Consciousness Writing
This journaling technique encourages spontaneity and can uncover hidden emotions and insights.
If you run out of things to write about, write nonsense words, song lyrics, or anything else that comes to mind.
2. Reflective Journaling
Take a few moments to reflect on your day or a specific event, and write about your thoughts, feelings, and observations.
3. Prompt-Based Journaling
4. Dialogue Journaling
Engage in a written dialogue with your emotions, thoughts, or a specific person or character. Write down their responses as if you were having a conversation.
5. Visual Journaling
Visual journaling means including drawings, paintings, images cut from magazines, or any other visual elements you choose. This approach is also sometimes called art journaling.
6. Creative Writing
Adding creative writing techniques to your practice can be fun and beneficial. Fictionalizing a painful story from your past may make it easier to write about.
7. Letter Writing
Address a letter to yourself, a specific person, or even an abstract concept, expressing your emotions, desires, or grievances. This technique provides a cathartic release and can help you gain clarity and closure.
8. Mindfulness Journaling
Before writing, take a few moments to ground yourself in the present moment, observe your emotions without judgment, and then proceed to write about them.
9. Future Journaling
Imagine your ideal future or a specific goal you want to achieve. Write about it in detail, including the emotions and experiences associated with that future vision.
10. Gratitude Journaling
There are various ways to approach this method: you might choose to make a list of at least three things you were grateful for at the end of each day. Writing at length about one gratitude topic is another approach.
Using Journaling to Track Emotional Patterns and Triggers
Reflecting on your journal writings is what helps you learn about yourself. Keeping a mood journal, specifically, can help you better recognize emotional patterns.
To use journaling as a way to identify and track your emotional reactions, include as much information as possible when writing about a highly charged emotional event.
Track small details like the following and look for trends:
The weather that day
What you ate
What was on your mind before your journaling session
How you felt when you woke up that morning
Whether you were experiencing distress or conflict
Whether you had a restful sleep the night before
Try to recall your emotional reactions as factually as you can. Don’t judge or criticize. Report your feelings as if you are writing about someone else — like you’re an outside observer. As you reflect on your journal entries, you may begin to see patterns emerge. For example, you may learn that you feel upset every time you leave a certain location or that you are quick to anger when it rains.
These small details may seem insignificant at first, but you can use the information to make positive changes in your life.
Thought/ Journal Topics:
What has been preventing you from documenting your emotions?
Do you already know of any patterns that occur with your emotions through-out the months or year?
For 2 -4 week write down how you are feeling each day; e.g- happy, sad, tired, excited
Did you notice any reason as to why you felt this way or notice any patterns.
What outside factors could be contributing to these patterns e.g- what you eat, your sleep, your surroundings, the chemical you use daily.
