In fact, some patients may feel overwhelmed if asked to formally describe their goals or get all of their thoughts down on paper.
Journaling can be used in more informal, creative ways – and even in newer digital formats – to provide a variety of benefits for patients, according to Jamie Benjamin, MA, LPC, NCC, ACS, Clinical Manager of the Women’s Program at the Princeton outpatient site.
“A simple journaling prompt can give people the opportunity to distance themselves from stress or negative thinking and focus their thoughts where they feel more productive,” says Benjamin.
She offers some of her favorite journaling tips.
January Journaling Prompts
Patients may wish to write about:
- Three things they’re grateful for as the new year begins
- Their favorite soup and why they like it
- A snowy winter day and how it makes them feel
- Their favorite thing about winter
- A favorite TV show
- Instructions for making a snowman
- A favorite winter memory
- A scent or song that reminds them of winter
Apps for Journaling
A journaling app can serve as an easily accessible way to put “pen to paper,” with the added benefits of tracking, search functionality, and suggested prompts. Benjamin and her colleagues recommend options that leave plenty of room for free text, such as Lifecraft® or Prompted Journal.
A Patient-Provider Exchange
Journaling can be an effective icebreaker during therapy. For example, a patient may note something they’d like to accomplish in a session, and a provider might in turn write down a “homework” item that builds on this goal and keeps communication and reflection flowing.
Ending in “And”
Benjamin suggests that patients add “and” statements to catch and reroute negative thinking in a more helpful way. With this approach, a line such as, “I feel awful about that situation” might end with “AND it could turn out great.”
