Read on Twitter
[THREAD] Journaling. It is one of those activities we hear about when it comes to therapy and one that we tend to skip the most when it comes to homework. Fun fact: I did a calculation and out of all my clients I ever had, less than 10% journaled. But journaling is important!
First of all, journaling is a great way to externalize our emotions in a safe way. A notebook won’t talk back or judge us for what we write on it. Especially in individuals who don’t have friends or family members that they trust with that information, journaling can be an
important alternative. However, the biggest strength of journaling is the ability to track our moods and progress overtime. We can’t really recall everything we felt or thought about even an hour ago let alone a few days or weeks ago. It can be hard to track that progress and
know exactly how we felt day to day. But a journal can give us an important glimpse into that and to see whether things have improved, stagnated or deteriorated and possibly why that happened. Why do we not journal as much then? And I am the first to be guilty of that. When I was
in therapy years ago, I didn’t journal for more than 2 days and it is because we tend to pressure ourselves to write a beautiful paragraph or essay or nothing at all. But journaling isn’t meant to be pretty, long or deep. It can be in point form, just a few lines and it is
okay to skip a day or two. It is not about a structure or perfection but rather writing those feelings and thoughts. Even writing depressed as the only entry for a day can be meaningful. It can show that depression may have been too high for any type of productivity and we can
then see what events happened that could have triggered it. Needless to say, journaling is your best friend when it comes to your recovery and to document that journey. It is one of the best habits you can get to that will help tremendously. Even for those out there who may
not be going to therapy or struggle with mental health, journaling can show your self-care routine, if a pattern is emerging that could cause burnout, and a great prevention tool altogether. Please consider starting journaling and documenting your emotions and thoughts
not only to externalize but also to track patterns that could be important for your recovery 
Credit to @aditichaubey for asking me to write about journaling
