Writing a diary? Does it help mental health? do you keep a diary? periodically I have done. It can help with allowing what would normally be suppressed to the surface. In light of that it can avoid stress related problems further down the line .
Writing a diary? Does it help mental health?
Coupled with writing a journal or diary, do you keep them and reread them ? Personally I find going back to old journals and reading exerts from them useful. In light of how our lives tend to be so busy, it’s easy to forget how far we grow sometimes. Finding yourself in a rut because you think little or no progress has been made. Our lives have become so busy that we don’t notice progress as it happens. It’s true that some are happy to get their lives into a routine and stay the same. Nothing wrong with that whatsoever. Important though to remember that if you are in any kind of partnership to make sure you either stay the same together or grow together.
Writing a diary? Does it help mental health?
Self reflection is very important if we are to grow as people and learn from mistakes. Fear of failure can stunt growth and accepting that mistakes are all part of learning seems to be more and more difficult these days. In my capacity as a driving instructor over the years I have noticed a definite shift in attitude for young people. Focus is very much upon academic progress and stats. They are taught that failure is a bad thing and not an option. Similarly I have noticed that they put immense pressure on themselves to pass a driving test first time . No prizes for guessing that it’s exactly that pressure that causes the failure.
Reflections are not always true.
Looking in a mirror some days is easier than others. Have you noticed that your reflection looks different depending on your mood. In a positive state of mind we are more accepting of our reflection. Our perception changes of our relationships, ourselves and the world around us. When something hurts us or we are involved in trauma, we find it harder to accept the image we see. Physically it stays pretty much the same apart from ageing. Keeping a journal and then looking back over old ones can help us measure how our relationships grow also. Notice how your perception was of your partner, friends and loved ones. How you were perceiving their emotions and how that in turn was affecting yours. Were your reactions different ? Can you take that information contained within your old journals to improve and grow in the future. Many times we may reread them and find it painful. Maybe emotional pain will be remembered and bad decisions brought to the foreground again.
Looking at old pain and mistakes is a good thing
None of us like reliving old pain and I am no exception. However sometimes training yourself to bite the bullet and look back over bad decisions is helpful. Character building I believe is the term. It strengthens us and reminds us not to repeat the same behavior in the future.