Journaling Can Improve Teen Mental Health

Journaling provides teens with a regular opportunity to practice and improve their creative writing , reading, and communication skills. Kids with difficulty writing or communicating in other contexts will benefit from this. With daily journals, teens learn to find their voice, communicate openly, gain confidence, and become more comfortable expressing themselves​​. The term “journaling” encompasses a lot of different things, however: the list of birds you’ve seen in your neighborhood; the descriptions of sights you saw on your last vacation; the notes you jotted down about the dream you had last night. But the general, tried and true everything is a bit much in my life right now, and I have to write it down type of journaling can really help when, well, everything is a bit much.

James Pennebaker, a professor of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, has spent decades studying “expressive writing.” Basically, Pennebaker says, if you find yourself ruminating on something, “set aside some time to write about it for anywhere from five to 20 minutes a day, for one day, two days, maybe as many as five days.” Expressive writing is associated with improvements in physical health, improvements in markers of mental health, and improvements in immune function. It’s also been shown to improve working memory in college students, says Pennebaker. Don’t worry if you’re not exactly sure where to start. Journaling is actually perfect for those times when you can’t pin down what you’re feeling. These four tips will help you get started:

1. Journal whenever you want, for however long you want to. You don’t need to create a rigid routine around journaling. Try starting small. “I would say start with five minutes. Set the timer on your phone,” recommends James. Pennebaker only practices expressive writing when something specific is bothering him. Don’t feel the need to force it either — if you don’t feel like journaling, don’t! Once the practice becomes yet another thing on your to-do list, it becomes less helpful. “When it’s for you, then you can really see the benefits,” explains James.

2. Medium doesn’t matter — the key is to articulate your thoughts. Your journal doesn’t need to be anything fancy. Don’t be intimidated by beautifully illustrated bullet journals — a dirty napkin and a crayon work too! Technically, you don’t even have to write. Pennebaker has done informal studies where people write with their fingers in the air. The critical thing, he says, is “That you translate this experience into words.” If you don’t like to write, James recommends keeping a voice memo journal. “Just talk out loud, because some people are verbal processors,” she says.

3. Let yourself write about anything. Remember, what you write is for you and you alone. Getting started can be overwhelming. The thoughts and ideas flowing out of you may feel uncomfortable. The key to unpacking an issue through expressive writing, Pennebaker says, is letting your feelings connect the dots for you. “Sit down and explore your deepest thoughts and feelings about this issue … You might tie it to other issues, for example: how does it relate to your childhood? Your relationship with other people in your life right now?” Pennebaker says you can write about the same topic every day, or you can opt to write for something completely different each time you sit down. “The only rule I have is once you start writing, write continuously,” he says. “Don’t worry about spelling or grammar. It’s not going to be read by your high school English teacher!”

4. Look for reflections and different perspectives, not solutions or fixes. A journal isn’t a friend or a therapist or counselor — it’s not going to fix your problems. But it will help you find out more about yourself. Pennebaker recommends not going into it with hard or high expectations. “You know, it’s kind of like when you’re in a new town and you see a street that looks interesting. The best way to approach it is, ‘Huh? I’ll go down this street and see what I find.’ But if you say, ‘I’m just going to look for shoes size eight and nothing else,’ you’re going to miss everything that’s on the street.”

Allison Green
Boston Tutoring Services