5 minute read
The Write Stuff
How putting pen to paper can help reduce anxiety.
More than just a diary, keeping a journal is recommended by mental health charity Papyrus to find sanctuary in the whirlwind of modern life.
Reviving old fashioned skills with simple pen and paper could be the new way to find calm, interrupt negative thoughts and declutter our minds.
Writing your thoughts down, sometimes known as journalling, can help organise thoughts and make problems more manageable. Detailing how you are feeling - and why - forces the brain to slow down. Reading what we have written helps identify patterns in our behaviour and the triggers for our anxieties.
For Hannah from St Helens, her beautifully illustrated journal is a vivid testament to how far she has come. Less than 12 months ago, she was in hospital, dangerously ill with the eating disorder, anorexia. This summer, she took GCSE examinations she wasn’t expected to be able to sit, joined her friends at the school prom and is looking forward to a bright future at college. Every page of her journal is proof of each small step on her long road to recovery.
With support and encouragement from nurse Margie Pardoe at Mersey Care’s Children’s Eating Disorder Service, Hannah began her journal to record the huge challenges she has overcome so far. The neat handwriting and careful illustrations make reading her extreme emotions even more profound. It’s heartrending to read her fear and guilt and the depiction of her eating disorder as a fake friend.
Hannah wrote her journal for herself, but she hopes it will give other people battling eating disorders inspiration and hope. It will be shared as part of a training package by Mersey Care for GPs, teachers and social workers to help them understand the condition.
It’s so therapeutic for me to write things down - it helps me talk through what made me happy and what absolutely terrified me.
“Looking back through it and remembering how I felt, I realise that if I had let those feelings take over, I would have missed all of the memories I’ve made since. I am still recovering and I will have battles in my head for a long time when I still don’t want to eat.Hannah wrote her journal for herself, but she hopes it will give other people battling eating disorders inspiration and hope. It will be shared as part of a training package by Mersey Care for GPs, teachers and social workers to help them understand the condition.MODEL Gigi HadidModel and influencer Gigi told Harpers Bazaar she keeps multiple journals to take stock of her emotions. “I like the separation. I write on the back of receipts and keep those in a notebook. I’m not particular about it, and my journals are everywhere around the house. I just pick up whichever one is closest to me and write.”The journal is a record to prove to myself I can beat this. I can carry on and I will keep adding to these memories.”
The journal is a record to prove to myself I can beat this. I can carry on and I will keep adding to these memories.”
Margie says that Hannah’s journal has been a huge part of her recovery. “Tracking each step towards recovery and focusing on the positives has helped Hannah process some really difficult emotions. She’s been so brave and I think she’s such an inspiration.”
There are a range of self help guides around anxieties and eating disorders. If you are struggling with your emotions, please talk to your GP.
More support
beateatingdisorders.org.uk
merseycare.nhs.uk/childrenseating-disorders
Put pen to paper
You don’t need fancy notebooks or perfect handwriting. Just a quiet moment and something to write with
Set a timer for five minutes and let the words flow - don’t worry about spelling or grammar
Write down three things that went well, you enjoyed, or that you achieved each day. After five days, look back at the things you’ve highlighted
You can write in your journal daily, weekly or whenever stress gets too intense. Whether it’s five minutes in the morning or just before bed, just opening your notebook can trigger a sense of calm if it’s done regularly
If you can’t bring yourself to pick up a pen, you can record your thoughts on a Smartphone or recording device.
You don’t need fancy notebooks or perfect handwriting. Just a quiet moment and something to write with
Write on celebs
Actor Selena Gomez
The documentary film My Mind and Me uses Selena’s real journal to take us through each scene. The last entry that closes the movie states, “I’m at peace, I’m angry, I’m sad, I’m confident, I’m full of doubt, I’m a work in progress, I am Selena.”
Coldplay’s Chris Martin
As revealed on Loose Women, Chris dedicates 12 minutes each day to writing down everything that’s bothering him to release pent up emotions.
Model Gigi Hadid
Model and influencer Gigi told Harpers Bazaar she keeps multiple journals to take stock of her emotions. “I like the separation. I write on the back of receipts and keep those in a notebook. I’m not particular about it, and my journals are everywhere around the house. I just pick up whichever one is closest to me and write.”
