Psychological Articles
The Psychology of Journaling| Sundaraman Iyer
First lets us clear the air about what exactly is not Journaling. It is not about writing a report or covering a piece of news or anything similar to that.
Then what is it?
Journaling is self-examination. It is writing everything down whenever you are happy, sad, pleasant, frustrated, angry, surprised, unpleasant, DISTURBED, afraid of the unknown, imaginative fear, impressing others, social pressure, got hurt. Everything that your mind comes up with, write it down.
Caveat- This is hell, a living hell when you start this journey. Everything that you write will drag you down & your mind will scream to you — stop writing you imbicile, your hands will shake you down, you will feel mentally and emotionally drained after writing.
Why do you need Journaling?
There is no one line so don't try to find one. However, you find peace and see the disturbing thoughts that you have as come and become aware that are coming. This will not solve your issue; it will make you aware of what situations you have to deal with your life that are causing you misery.
What you will get from Journaling?
When you start writing (Journaling)everything that is disturbing, this is
- List of things that are disturbing you
- When does your mind get triggered
- When do you feel emotionally attached
- Who & what triggers your mind to enter a particular mood
- The internal monologue- the chatter; that you keep repeating to yourself
- The vital of all CLARITY.
How is going to solve your solve problems?
At the start of 2 weeks, it does nothing- absolutely nothing. After a while, you will start to understand the patterns that your mind runs into, the internal chatter that your mind runs whenever a particular incident gets triggered.
I will share my experience- I had a gut-wrenching decision about my rental house, the contract/ lease did not finish and I needed to stay there, however, I knew for sure my parent's lives would be difficult considering that the house was in a slum. Long story short, the owner was not ready to pay the deposit back, however, at this point, I started journaling about my situation on how I was disturbed, what I wanted to do, what were the things that were causing me to suffer.
After 3 weeks of continuous, my mind became calm, undisturbed by the incident. I started looking at things rationally and I found a solution to that situation. ( see images ).
The situation was resolved automatically.
Final note- You will start to understand your emotions better, what are the emotions you are currently feeling and you will just become aware of it. You will see it happening and will be present in the situation rather than getting disturbed by the situation.
It will be like- Ooh! I am having this thought again. I will see it and become aware that it is happening to me and let it pass.
As Socrates famously asserted
An unexamined life is not worth living
