Tips for Different Coping Styles and Benefits of Journaling
Coping is a process that happens either consciously or unconsciously. It is a way to deal with life’s stressors or the changes that happen. Using coping strategies consciously can help guide to a beneficial emotional equilibrium and lesson psychological stressors.
When an event happens, either positive or negative, one must adapt and change. Helping the mind go through this change with support and compassion can often make transitions feel better and less out of control.
Individuals inherently avoid processing emotions and tend to turn to the following; alcohol, screen time, unwanted food habits, telling themselves phrases such as “just get over it”, the list goes on and can be specific to each persons coping style.
Why are these options detrimental to our health?
Swatting away feelings may seem like a solution at the time, however this does not fully get rid of the emotions that come up.
We have all heard of bottling up emotions, this is common and can create an internal pressure where eventually the stress can become very overwhelming to carry around.
Physically the body has energy that arises when emotions happen, when the body represses expressing this the muscular structures can constrict and become tense. This is commonly seen in the skeletal muscles, such as tense shoulders and jaw, but also within our digestive tract.
Carrying around tension can also seep into areas such as sleep; causing disturbances, insomnia or lack of optimal sleep. Blood pressure can become negatively affected as well with an increase in stress or anger symptoms. Anxiety and depression can increase when emotions have been built up and not been acknowledged by the person.
How to cope using journaling?
Understanding and acknowledging what you are feeling is the first step.
This can be hard when you can feel a multitude of emotions at once. Learning what emotions feel like as they come and how they differ can be a good step, then trying to separate out which emotions are happening.
A process of journaling can be beneficial to get out of your own head and onto a visual representation of these ruminating thoughts. Feelings and emotions are natural for all living creatures, validating what you are feeling no matter how insignificant you perceive them is a great process of coping and clearing the body and mind of what is troubling you.
Proven benefits of journaling:
- Stress reduction
- Immune system strengthening
- Memory and comprehension
- Emotional health, improved mood
- Increased mindfulness and awareness
What do experts say?
- “Expression of emotions concerning stressful or traumatic events can produce measurable effects on human immune responses,” write the University of Auckland’s Keith J. Petrie and his colleagues.
- “The research, published in the September issue of APA’s Journal of Experimental Psychology: General (JEP: General) (Vol. 130, №3), indicates that expressive writing reduces intrusive and avoidant thoughts about negative events and improves working memory. These improvements, researchers believe, may in turn free up our cognitive resources for other mental activities, including our ability to cope more effectively with stress.”
- “It has even been shown to impact physical well-being; avid journal writer and journalist Michael Grothaus notes that there are studies suggesting journaling can strengthen the immune system, drop blood pressure, help you sleep better, and generally keep you healthier (2015).”
Other coping techniques:
Other techniques can include self care practices, body movement, stress reduction techniques, mindful behaviors, meditation, spending time in nature, verbally expressing feelings to another person, hugging or petting an animal.
Overall Tips:
- Explore different or familiar ways of coping with stress that you enjoy.
- Try out a few new techniques and get curious about how you feel about the experience.
- Try out different mediums for journaling: pen and paper, different colors of pen or paper, using the Ate app, typing on your phone or computer, even voice dictation can be a way to get thoughts out.
- Try a mindful moment before journalling, centering yourself can help in getting prepared.
- Review your written thoughts and see what insights you have from them.
- Use self-compassion when expressing your emotions.
- Practice being honest with yourself and writing whatever comes up in your mind, this does not need to be written logically or for anyone else, but you!
- Explore with setting aside specific times to journal or try spontaneously when the moment arrives, journalling behaviors can be different for each person so find what works best for your personality.
