Glen Alex, The Glen Alex Show, Positive Change Podcast Award Winner, Journaling, Journal Therapy, Mental Health, Mental Wellness, Healing, Health and Wellness

Journaling to Enhance Your Mental Health and Well-being

by Health & WellnessHealthy LivingMental Health

I know firsthand the value and benefits of therapeutic writing. I experienced its powerful effects on mental and emotional health long before becoming a Clinical Social Worker and psychotherapist.

My childhood diary was my best and most loyal friend. It accepted all of my thoughts, feelings, and experiences without judgement. My diary provided an outlet for the mostly impoverished life I was born into. I say mostly because some of the non-monetary aspects of being poor positively impacted me then and richly influence my work now.

“Sometimes only the paper will listen to you.”
–Anonymous

Journaling to Heal

In my early twenties, I joined a dream group that lasted more than 7 years. During this time, I journaled hundreds of my dreams for interpretation by me and the group members. If you’re thinking that interpreting dreams is “out there” or crazy or weird or stupid, then you are wrong. Dream interpretation is a powerful psychological tool utilized by the founder of Psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud, PhD and Psychiatrist Carl Jung, PhD. The International Association for the Study of Dreams carries on this work. Anyway, journaling my dreams brought me new awareness, effective processing, and insights crucial to my health and healing.

Glen Alex, Clinical Social Worker, author of Living In Total Health, Indie Book Award Winner, Host of The Glen Alex Show, Positive Change Podcast Award Winner, Health, Healing, Journal Therapy, Mental Health, Well-being

I’ve also learned along the way that journaling has a positive impact on physical health as well. James Pennebaker, PhD is a Social Psychologist and author, and is known for his research on therapeutic writing, journaling. His studies have shown that in addition to healthy mindset shifts, journal therapy reduced the number of medical visits study participants had for up to six months after journaling.

“People who wrote about their deepest thoughts and feelings surrounding a trauma evidenced an impressive drop in illness visits after the study.”
–James Pennebaker, PhD, The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions

Journaling Tips for You

Because of these powerful benefits, I highly recommend journaling to my clients, particularly those with anxiety, depression, and difficulty sleeping. Those who do journal appreciate the new insights they learn about themselves, experience relief from their baggage, and sleep better.

To enhance your self-awareness and healing, here are few easy to implement tips for you:

1. Take a moment. Make sure you have privacy. Center by closing your eyes or focusing on a spot, and breathe deeply.

2. Start where you are. Journaling is not about being a best-selling author. It’s about expressing yourself. So write without judging your spelling, grammar, nor even what you say.

3. Dump your mind. Clients who do the mind dump report falling asleep faster and getting better quality sleep. It’s simple…your last act at bedtime is to write whatever is on your mind. It can be a recap of your day, ideas you have, your to-do list for the next day, etc.

4. Pick your topic. The more you journal, then the more personal your journal becomes. You will choose to write about specific themes or triggers in your life. Some even focus on what they’re grateful for. There are many sources for journaling prompts to get you started.

5. Express your uniqueness. Do you. Use whatever words and phrases you desire. And be as creative as you want to be. And if you prefer to speak your journal, then by all means record a verbal journal.

6. Reflect. Evaluating what your journal reveals to you is a critical step in your healing journey because it avails you of new, better, and healthier choices. ask yourself questions like What did I learn about myself? What surprised me the most? What was I reminded of? How can I use this information?

“Journaling is like whispering to one’s self and listening at the same time.”
— Mina Murray, Fictional Character

For more information on journal therapy, check out this episode of The Glen Alex Show, Discover the Healing Power of Journaling on Youtube.  Glen’s guest is Journal Therapist Kathleen Adams who offers a free online journal course, J is for Journal.

The most important aspect of journaling is to give yourself permission to just start and allow the pen or your voice to reveal insights to you. Then follow the steps above for health and healing.

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How to be Your Own Shaman

by Health & WellnessHealthy Living

Living In Total Health requires that you integrate your wholeness and your individuality into any health regimen. Inherent in this process is taking responsibility for your health—your choices and the consequent outcomes.

Your choices include, but are not limited to, what you eat and drink, your activity level, your mindset, your relationships, how you respond to challenges and difficulties, how you promote sleep, your utilization of health care, and how you personalize your own path to health.

“When you give your body the right tools, it knows how to be well.”
–Jane Barlow Christensen, Master Herbalist, Author of Be Your Own Shaman

Herbs and Natural Healing

Be aware that your choices also include credible alternative health care in addition to traditional medicine. One very credible alternative medicine practice is natural healing via herbal remedies. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, humans have used herbs to treat diseases and maintain health for thousands of years. And MountSinai.org says that when “used correctly, herbs can help treat a variety of conditions, and in some cases, may have fewer side effects than some conventional medications.”

Please note that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate herbs and supplements. Therefore, products are not allowed to claim to treat specific conditions.

Recommendations for Using Herbs

As for herbs, I believe that nature’s remedies work when administered properly and that you can Be Your Own Shaman. 

Below are my recommendations for using herbs to enhance your total health.

1) Do your own research. Check out the product quality and the integrity of the company that produces the herb. Not all products are created equal and some companies don’t care much about the quality of their product. While it’s okay to attend to the opinion of ‘experts’, it’s even more impactful to learn the information for yourself. This is my recommendation for all areas of health because there is NO one-size-fits-all approach to any level of health.

2) Follow the product instructions or consult an herbal professional. While your individuality matters in total health, altering the instructions right off the bat without knowing how the herbs effect you may do more harm than good. So if you want to personalize any herbal remedy, then please consult a professional herbalist.

3) Listen to your body. The human body is wise and communicates regularly about what works for it and what does not work for it. Understanding what your body is communicating requires you to be present to your experience. So if you experience nausea, dizziness, rash, headache, upset stomach, sneezing, watery eyes, or other negative symptoms after consuming the herbs, then stop taking it and consult with a health care professional.

4) Make the appropriate lifestyle changes. Many chronic diseases like diabetes, IBS, chronic pain, and hypertension are impacted by diet, activity level, stress, and mindset. Herbs alone, just like medication alone, will not ‘fix’ some physical issues that most hope for because lifestyle issues are in play. Neither medication nor herbs will fix any condition that is created by and/or reinforced by lifestyle factors.

 

Herbal remedies can work for you to improve and maintain your health as a viable alternative to traditional medicine. Yet, your active participation is crucial to how herbs benefit you and your overall health. To that end, you control many variables in your own health. By doing your research, following product instructions, consulting an herbal professional, listening to your body, and making the lifestyle choices to promote health, you can Be Your Own Shaman.