Why YSK?
I had a very close brush with depression few years back. It was journaling habit that saved me. Many times you wish to keep your ideas and your health to yourself (or are simply unable to share) this is where journaling can be extremely powerful tool to help yourself
Often times it was very painful to be wanting to speak to someone who could understand the pain and suffering, yet also knowing that there isn’t one. It’s not that my friends or my parents would shun me away from speaking out or seeking help, but because my depressed mind always circled back to the point that they cannot understand me.
Journaling allowed me to talk to the person who knew all about me; Myself.
I would write a couple of pages about things bothering me, feelings of powerlessness, and just sharing the general hopelessness. Sometimes I would re-read previous pages and it would become an exercise of trying to solve some of the problems. It was like having two different versions of myself speaking to each other. Sometimes one would speak of an issue, the other would try to find a way out, and vice versa.
Over the course of a few months, it was joined by another instance that would comment on my progress over some ideas that I had been thinking over. So, it became sort of scientific process of observation, hypothesis and experiment. At one time I would explain a problem, some time later I would myself come up with a solution that could help it, and soon I would be talking it over with myself about how good it was and suggesting changes to myself after all that experience.
My initial fight with depression has been over for many years now, but I kept journaling. It helped me lose weight, get into shape, set my own goals and start new hobbies even. One thing I want you to know is that at the current moment, I feel as though my depression is like cigarettes. I quit, but every day I still wish to start again. It means that another stressful time at work or even home has the potential to restart depression in my head, and it very nearly did.
It was journaling that alerted me to my changing mental state, enabled me to come up with a strategy to fight back and take back control of my own life.
Mental health is not like other health issues where people can see the effects on your body, your face. If someone can recognize your depression from your behavior, chances are that you have already suffered too much pain. While there are many places that can provide professional help that you may need, I admit that not everyone is in a position to seek it out - like myself. In that case, I hope that this personal experience can be a little helpful
I’ve had some good times journaling, but it’s been hard for me to start up as a regular practice. I never know what to write about. Do you have any suggestions from your own experience on what to focus on for someone that’s just getting started?
For me it has always been me talking to myself. Very rarely I would take an approach where I needed to detach from myself in hopes of finding the best option objectively and without my own bias etc.
To start off, try to speak to yourself just as you would with any other person. Obviously, you may think that you know yourself well enough (I’ll explain why this is wrong later, but for the sake of explanation just go with it) so that you can try to speak to yourself like this is your best friend. You know your likes, dislikes, things you like to talk about, things you are afraid of. The best feeling you can seek is to be able to speak with absolute freedom, because it’s you yourself you are talking to. So, you don’t have to fear of coming out as being awkward.
I was all over the place when I started. Sometimes I still am. But it’s quiet unlike speaking to some other person. When you speak to others your mind starts to wonder what if they think you are too weird. You absolutely will be weird in the start, just like you are weird around new people. But as your friendship grows you get more comfortable.
So, the key is to keep writing on the regular. I normally write a couple of pages once a month. Lately I’ve been writing more due to some stress in my life. You can write once a month, or once a week or a day. Or even multiple times a day, but make it a habit to write regularly. You will find that very quickly you will become comfortable with this new friend and your writing style will change. Mine has changed multiple times over the years. It has taken me on a journey of self-discovery. And I promise you, if you can go even 10% as far as I have in journaling, you will recognize that you never really knew yourself before you started journaling.