How Journaling Has Helped My Chronic Illness Journey

I’ve loved journaling since I was a kid. Whether it was a secret diary stored in that special hiding spot or a notepad filled with letters, quotes and scattered doodles, I always had a piece of paper and a pencil somewhere close by. Writing has been a huge part of me throughout my life. So, it’s no surprise that I recently picked it back up and instantly fell back into the groove of things.

It’s helped me become more self-aware

I’ve always been fairly in touch with my mental state and emotions, but sometimes my own internal dialogue has a tendency to spiral out of control. Writing it all out onto paper is a game-changer. I’ve personally found that it not only helps me release everything in a healthy way, but also slows down my thoughts and gives me a moment to work through them one by one.

I’m able to ask myself questions and challenge certain mindsets or negative thoughts. Usually by the end of my journal entry, I can close my notebook with a sense of relief and move on from whatever it was I was feeling.

I am able to look back and notice patterns in my thoughts and habits

I like writing things in the heat of the moment, whenever that is possible. Some days I will have more than one entry, others I will only write a sentence or two just to make sure I’m letting everything out even on the days I may not necessarily need to just to keep myself at bay.

But when something does arise, I write everything that I am feeling transparently and without judgment so that later on, I can look back at it and see if there’s a deeper issue to unpack that triggered those emotions.

It’s teaching me to be my own best friend

Having a support system while living with a chronic illness is incredibly important, but the truth is no matter how much I vent to others, they will never truly understand what it is like to live with these symptoms. My journal is my safe place. Being able to write out my frustrations and struggles where only I am able to see it can be refreshing.

It’s a place where I don’t have to worry about how others might respond or possibly hear ableist comments. I can authentically tell my experience and know that is it my truth and that my symptoms are very much real without rebuttal. Through this I am learning to be kinder to myself and recognize just how much I am going through, and that it’s not easy.

I truly feel that journaling is mentioned quite a lot, but is still something that is incredibly overlooked. In just a few weeks I’ve already felt such a large weight lifted from my shoulders. Is something like this going to change your life drastically? No. But what I can tell you is this: this is the most control I’ve had over my mental health in a very long time. My breakdowns have been much easier to cope with and overall, so has my mentality towards my illness.