By Patricia A Muehsam, MD

Sometimes we’re disconnected from what’s going on internally—we may not always be aware of what we’re feeling. Journaling can help us to slow down, to connect within, to name what’s going on. Research on the power of expressive writing—getting in touch with feelings through writing—has demonstrated potent effects on both mind and body. 

Women with breast cancer, and men and women with heart disease, have been shown to be physically healthier, have fewer symptoms of sickness, and be emotionally more at peace simply by writing about feelings.¹ Expressive writing has also been shown to enhance immune function, decrease flare-ups in people with asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, ease anxiety and depression, reduce blood pressure, improve lung and liver function, and even increase working memory.^{2, 3}

Journaling is another way to be present with feelings, which is our way home to peace of mind, to well-being, and to being well.

There are many, many ways to journal, to put pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard. These include list-making, free-form or “stream-of-consciousness” writing, gratitude journaling, and even non-dominant handwriting. All have been shown to change the brain.^{4, 5, 6}

You don’t have to be a writer or have any experience in journaling to benefit. In fact, the less experience you have with words and writing, often the more powerful these processes can be.

Journaling: List-Making

Here’s a simple journaling exercise—a list-making process—to get your feet wet, so to speak, and your fingers moving. List-making can be really helpful, getting us to slow down and check within, especially when we feel disconnected to what’s going on within. In this journaling exercise, I ask you to use pen and paper, as opposed to typing on a device. Handwriting allows us to be more present with the process.

Find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted. Use a pen and paper to write with, even if you prefer typing on a device.

Make a numbered list of anything and everything that feels challenging for you. Whatever comes to mind—a health issue, a relationship challenge, financial concerns, or anything else—write it down.

The goal is just to connect within and list whatever is going on. Do your best to suspend any judgment about what you put down. There’s no right or wrong. Penmanship, grammar, and spelling don’t matter. In fact, the freer you can be, the easier it will be to let the issues and the writing flow.

For each item in the list, write as much or as little as you need to or that makes sense. It could be one word, several words, a phrase, or several paragraphs. Express yourself however you want. Make the list as long or short as you want. This list isn’t for rereading later.

When you feel ready to end, pause and see if new thoughts arise. If so, you can add them now or return to this exercise another time. You might feel your list could go on forever. That’s perfectly okay.

When you feel done, do some gentle belly breathing for a minute or so.

Reflecting on the Exercise

Often, through this simple list-making exercise, thoughts and feelings emerge, new issues arise, some issues may lessen in their intensity, and some may feel more charged. It’s a powerful way to be present with what is, with what we may be holding internally, and to connect with what we may not have been aware of. In doing so, we release tension in the mind and body. Even if issues feel charged, being present with them by naming them can move us from a place of dis-ease to ease around them.

Give it a try from time to time, and even consider making it a daily practice. List-making can be a helpful way to get clear about what’s really going on. 

I often use this list-making technique when I’m feeling overwhelmed and my mind is behaving in a very monkey-like way, jumping here and there. It helps to slow me down, to be present with what’s going on more easily. From there, I may do some breathing or a mindful meditation.

Healing Power of Emotional Acceptance

More and more research is supporting the notion that emotional acceptance and surrendering to the present moment—the ability to be present with whatever feelings we are experiencing—can keep us well and get us well.

For instance, a 201 study of women with breast cancer demonstrated that 21 women who were more able to be with their feelings about their health had less symptoms of sickness.⁷ Those who couldn’t be with their feelings were sicker. They also measured the levels of inflammatory cytokines in the blood. These are substances that reflect the body’s state of health and disease—in particular, immune function. While these substances can be increased in disease conditions, those women who were able to be present with their feelings still had less symptoms of sickness, irrespective of their levels of cytokines.

In 2019, another study of individuals undergoing cancer treatment revealed the same connection between feelings and health: those who avoided their feelings of uncertainty and fear fared worse.⁸ 

Other studies have demonstrated the connection between being with feelings and chronic depression and anxiety. In one study, individuals experienced less depression and less anxiety when they could just be with feelings of sadness or worry.⁹ Being with feelings can move us from dis-ease to ease. Research published in 2013 also showed that being present with feelings, including difficult ones, leads to longer, healthier lives.¹⁰ 

The take-home message is that avoiding emotional pain, toughening up, and “fighting” illness just doesn’t work. We end up making things worse, not better.

—

Patricia A Muehsam, MD, is the founder of Transformational Medicine™, a whole-person approach to health and well-being, offering tools and resources for individuals and communities in person and online. She lives in New York City. 

Learn more at www.TransformationalMedicine.org.

Well Being Journal adapted this article from Beyond Medicine by Patricia A Muehsam, MD, published by New World Library, copyright © 2021. Reprinted by permission of publisher.

References

1. Annette Stanton. “Randomized, Controlled Trial of Written Emotional Expression and Benefit Finding in Breast Cancer Patients,” Journal of Clinical Oncology 20, no. 20 (2002): 4160–68, https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2002.08.521.
2. Karen Baikie and Kay Wilhelm. “Emotional and Physical Health Benefits of Expressive Writing,” Advances in Psychiatric Treatment 11, no. 5 (September 2005): 338–46, https://doi.org/10.1192 /apt.11.5.338 
3. Kitty Klein and Adriel Boals. “Expressive Writing Can Increase Working Memory Capacity,” Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 130, no. 3 (September 2001): 520–33, https://doi.org/10.1037//0096-3445.130.3.520.
4. Brynne DiMenichi et al., “Effects of Expressive Writing on Neural Processing During Learning,” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 13, no. 389 (November 6, 2019), https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2019.00389; 
5. Prathik Kini et al. “The Effects of Gratitude Expression on Neural Activity,” Neuro-Image 128 (March 2016): 1–10, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.12.040; 
6. M Hoshiyama and R Kakigi. “Changes of Somatosensory Evoked Potentials During Writing with the Dominant and Nondominant Hands,” Brain Research 833, no. 1 (June 26, 1999): 10–19, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0006-8993(99)01443-2.
7. Rebecca Reed et al. “Emotional Acceptance, Inflammation, and Sickness Symptoms Across the First Two Years Following Breast Cancer Diagnosis,” Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 56 (2016): 165–74, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2016.02.018.
8. Bruno Aldaz et al. “Is Avoidance of Illness Uncertainty Associated with Distress During Oncology Treatment? A Daily Diary Study,” Psychology & Health 34, no. 4 (2019): 422–37, https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2018.1532511.
9. Todd Kashdan et al. “Experiential Avoidance as a Generalized Psychological Vulnerability: Comparisons with Coping and Emotion Regulation Strategies,” Behaviour Research and Therapy 44, no. 9 (September 2006): 1301–20, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2005.10.003.
10. Benjamin Chapman et al. “Emotion Suppression and Mortality Risk Over a 12-Year Follow-Up,” Journal of Psychosomatic Research 75, no. 4 (October 2013): 381–85, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2013.07.014.