You’ve probably heard or read about the benefits of keeping a journal. Perhaps it was Oprah recommending that you record five things you’re grateful for every day, or maybe it was a teacher or counselor who viewed journaling as a way to clarify your thoughts and feelings and help solve problems. Regardless of the reason, there are great benefits to journaling, especially if you’re a caregiver or family member to someone with dementia. It’s a safe way to give a voice to conflicting emotions.
Scientific evidence supports journaling. Numerous studies have proven that journaling is particularly helpful when processing a difficult or traumatic event. Naming what you feel, whether sadness, anger, frustration, etc., has a positive effect similar to talk therapy.
Life can feel chaotic and unmanageable when people are going through a crisis. Writing, even in a free-form way, is a way of organizing thoughts and emotions. You may not feel more organized, but jotting down events and feelings improves memory and allows the brain to “shut off” so you can fall asleep. For more structure, there are several resources like the Caregiver Daily Log Book to help caretakers organize and document their loved ones’ daily vital signs, sleep patterns, medication, and communication.
Starting a journal may seem overwhelming. Using a sensory image, a list, or a sentence starter may be helpful. The Caregiver’s Journal offers prompts and open-ended sentences as well as space for personal musings. Although the journal is geared toward caregivers, many prompts work just as well for someone in the early stages of dementia.
Another way to make journaling simple is to write down one sentence or thought daily. This might seem small, but forming a new habit, like journaling, is easiest when it’s done daily. There are even One Line a Day journals to help. Even one sentence a day can convey a lot, and the lines add up. Looking back at the journal, you have a page or more each month.
Here are some more simple tips to keep in mind:
- Start with the day, the date, and the year. Include a brief description of the weather if you feel moved.
- Allow 15 minutes to write first thing in the morning to develop the writing ritual.
- Forget about grammar, spelling, and punctuation! Let the feelings and words flow, whether one sentence or an entire page.
- Technology can be useful if handwriting is difficult or inconvenient. Use a portable computer or cell phone to record audio or video “journal entries” throughout the day.
Goodwin says that it doesn’t matter if what’s recorded is legible. “Journaling provides the caregiver the opportunity to reach beyond themselves and communicate their complicated thoughts and feelings.”