Are you unsure with what you want to do with your life? Are you unhappy with your job? Have you been trying to figure out why you’re so unhappy lately? These are all problems we often face at some point in our lives. But how do we solve these problems? All of these problems could be solved using a similar strategy – journaling.
Journaling is a useful tool that can help you figure out just about any problem in your life. But you may ask yourself, how will journaling help me? The first thing you need to do is write about yourself. Write about what happened and how it made you feel. Write about the things you notice and how those things made you feel.
How Journaling Helps You Solve Problems
So how is journaling going to help you solve a problem? Solving any problem, no matter what problem it is. No matter how big or small, follows the same basic process. This approach has been studied widely and yields the best results. You might not realize it, but it is likely the approach you use when making your most important choices.
Problem Solving Steps:
- Understand clearly what the problem is.
- Figure out potential solutions.
- Weigh your options and choose the best one.
- Implement that choice and evaluate its success.
Sounds simple enough, right? When you have all these thoughts in your head, you often miss a step. You neglect to think through each step, or you do not take enough time to consider all your choices. Journaling can help you with all parts of this approach.
Identify the Problem
Journaling is perfect for this step because, when you write in your journal every day, it becomes a written record of your thoughts, moods, and emotions. It’s therapeutic in a way because it allows you to just write what’s on your mind, without editing it later. Often, we may know that something is not right, but we don’t really know what that is, exactly. Writing in your journal every day gives you the chance to write about your problems, your work, what you’re grateful for, etc. which helps you find themes and patterns that point to genuine issues.
Write as if you are talking to a secret best friend. Be honest and write like no one else is going to read it. Don’t worry about grammar or spelling. Just write or draw. Do whatever you have to do to get your thoughts out.
Identifying and Choosing Solutions
You can use your journal to make lists of all the possible outcomes of your choices. You can write about the pros and cons of each option. There are times to think things through and there are times to just vomit all over the page. Writing gives you time to consider possibilities, brainstorm ideas, and to look back to see how you have solved similar problems in the past.
Evaluating Your Decision
A journal is pretty much an ongoing evaluation of your life. Once you have made a choice and implemented it, your journal can help you document the results, including any lessons you have learned from the outcomes. Your journal becomes a place for you to gain clarity even at times your mental health is at its worst.
Other Approaches to Journaling
There are an infinite number of ways you can use a journal to help you solve a problem in your life. When you write daily, you may notice specific issues cropping up that you didn’t even know were problems until you started to write about them. You can explore relationships and the influences other people have on you, which may be the source of certain feelings or outcomes. You can get to know yourself better through journaling. Journaling is not a place to criticize yourself. You should use it to build awareness.
Final Thoughts
Exploring problems on paper gives you more clarity. Journaling can help at every stage of problem-solving, including identifying the problem, finding and choosing solutions, then evaluating the outcomes. Just let your pen flow.
The real power of journaling is not just in the act of writing, which is therapeutic in nature. You can start to understand the emotional influence you have over yourself, with others and can identify ways to help you with things in the future, as well. We live in a pretty toxic, complaining culture. Writing things down will help you shift your mindset and humble you. So get started and get yourself a journal today!
Are you looking for other ways to feel your best? Try one of these 15 self care apps! Or are you trying to keep your life in order? See the different ways you can help get your life organized!
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