journal

Processing emotions is not always easy. 

Sometimes it can be hard to tell if we’re angry, disappointed, confused, excited, or all of the above. 

We all process emotions in our way. What works for one person may not necessarily work for you, and that’s okay. However, regular journaling can be very effective. 

Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, keep an open mind. Your talents may surprise you.

Here are three tips that can help you get started. 

Make it a Habit 

Journaling daily for as little as 5 minutes can make a huge difference. It’s all about consistency. 

Journaling your thoughts can help you better understand them and potentially bring up ideas you never even realized you had. Now, there may be days where you feel like you have nothing to say.

On those days, you can list out a few things you are grateful for or even doodle. It’s all about maintaining the habit.

Write in Third Person

Addressing yourself in the third person can make it a bit easier to be more subjective. Give it a try a few times and see what happens. 

Think Back 

Taking a trip down memory lane can be incredibly eye-opening.

When we’re so overwhelmed with emotions, it can be challenging to think rationally and come up with a solution. 

Let’s say you got into a disagreement with a friend and aren’t sure what to do. Take a few deep breaths and think back to the last disagreement you had with a friend. 

Pull out a pen and paper and write down exactly what you did last time to resolve that argument. 

Once you have written down everything you remember, see if any of those tactics can be of use today. Every event in life is a learning experience – even events that happened years ago! 

Memories can get fuzzy over the years, but written down thoughts are always with us.