The Therapeutic Benefits of Journaling

Journaling. Does the word spark joy or dread? A practice that involves writing down your feelings and experiences on a regular basis. It’s inexpensive and easily accessible, only requiring a pad, a pencil and about 20 minutes of your time. But for many people this idea sounds painful. Writing for some is filled with apprehension and self-doubt. The idea of doing it voluntarily and routinely, especially while stuck at home during this pandemic, may seem like torture. And why would you add to your misery? Even for those whom find writing rewarding, setting the time aside to journal can feel like work. So why should you do it? And why should you do it now? For starters, therapeutic journaling has many actual health benefits. Yeah, yeah, another thing to put on that endless list of health habits, but scientific evidence has shown that journaling not only reduces stress and anxiety, it also strengthens your immune system, decreasing symptoms of asthma, arthritis, and other health conditions. And what better time than now to strengthen your mind and body? Living in the time of this pandemic has altered the way we live. You may now be working from home, teaching your kids at home, or working in a front-line job. Whatever the case, we’re all dealing with added stress. Science has shown that the actual act of putting a pencil to paper accesses the analytical and rational part of your brain, freeing the right side of your brain to create and feel. And writing about your emotions, especially without concern for what others think or feel about you, can be cathartic. You can express yourself, your thoughts and anxieties, openly and honestly without judgment. Your only audience is you. And by getting your feelings on paper and out of your head, it decreases the overwhelming feelings of upset or anger that they may be causing you. The process also allows your subconscious mind to become present, bringing understanding and insight about yourself and your difficulties. It can improve your mood and bring you an overall sense of happiness. Journaling has also been shown to improve cognitive functioning and helps with analytic thinking. Writing down your thoughts or struggles provides distance by giving you time to go back and look at what you’ve written, seeing it in a new light. You’ll generate observations that will help you problem solve and grow. To be clear, therapeutic journaling is not quite the same as keeping a diary. In a diary, one traditionally writes about events of their day, chronicling their life. In therapeutic journaling, the aim is to process your thoughts and feelings about the events of that day. Many experts say that in order to be most effective, you should give your journal twenty minutes of your time. And then write. Forget about spelling, punctuation or sentence structure. Pick a topic, or a theme. Write your stream of consciousness and just let your writing flow. Now is a good time while you likely have extra time to go get started.              

Planning is Everything

Save for a house. Save for college. Save for retirement. Save for emergencies. Save for a pandemic? Not what most of us had on our radar, but COVID-19 has in effect become our “rainy day.” Maybe our “rainy year.” It’s been an eye-opening reminder that “expecting the unexpected” is a pretty good idea. Americans were experiencing the longest economic expansion on record, but in a matter of days, millions of people were laid off and businesses closed. The result is a recession and an economic turnaround is uncertain. But the emotional effects of COVID-19 are much greater than the financial pain. The loss of lives, and the families who are left behind has been a tragic, permanent and life-altering reality. Many families have been crippled by not only the loss of their loved one, but also the loss of their main provider. If they weren’t financially ready for this pandemic, they’re likely facing significant hardship. Recovery from the extraordinary shift in our lifestyle and circumstances will be long and labored and if we learn nothing else, our recovery plans should include the foresight to be prepared for the next wave. So how do you move forward? According to many experts begin by evaluating your current finances and creating a plan. If you’re still working and don’t have an emergency savings plan, it’s time to aggressively start one. If you have one, it’s time to bolster it. And if you’re out of work, it’s time to create an emergency budget. Emergency funds are crucial at all times but particularly important with high unemployment and economic ambiguity. Experts agree that a fund with enough money to cover three to six months of living expenses should be your goal. To get there, you’re going to need to make sacrifices. Begin with reducing the cost of your essential expenses. Call service providers and see what discounts they’re offering. Cancel nonessential expenses such as premium television channels or apps. While it’s important to support local restaurants by ordering takeout, it’s also important to reduce expenses by cooking meals at home. An excellent place for impartial advice on preparing for emergency situations is www.ready.gov. Under “make a plan” the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) offers tips for financial preparedness. Among the suggestions are to safeguard critical documents. You should be sure that all financial, personal, household and medical information are all scanned and saved. In addition to your crisis savings account they suggest including a small amount of cash kept at home in a safe place. The DHS also strongly recommends that you obtain life insurance if you don’t already have it. While most of us recognize the gravity of living without health or homeowners insurance, many people go without life insurance. It’s a critically important addition to the financial well-being of your family if something should happen to you. The bottom line is that if there is a practical lesson from COVID-19, it’s to be prepared for times of crisis. Plan and save, for yourself and your family.  

Light it up blue! April is Autism Awareness Month

For almost 50 years April has been recognized as World Autism Month, kicked off on April 2nd with the United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day. It’s a period each year to focus on positive, respectful and accurate information about autism spectrum disorder (ASD), people with autism, the challenges they face and the gifts they possess, all cloaked in the color blue. During April, communities across the country usually recognize the month with autism-friendly events and educational activities aimed to promote acceptance of people with autism and a more inclusive world. This year, due to COVID-19, many of those events have been cancelled or postponed. But staying at home doesn’t mean you can’t take time this month to educate yourself about those members of your families and communities who live with autism. ASD occurs in all ethnic, racial and economic groups. Someone with autism may be your neighbor, the child of a friend or a beloved family member. So what are the symptoms of autism? According to Autism Speaks, one of the world’s leading advocacy groups, the two core symptoms are: social communication challenges, and restricted, repetitive behaviors. Those symptoms are manifested in a number of ways and can often interfere with daily living. Social communication challenges can include spoken language, gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, tone of voice and expressions. They can also include difficulty with recognizing emotions in others, within themselves, and in recognizing “normal” social cues, from personal space to conversation exchanges. Restricted and repetitive behaviors are also often exhibited with repetitive body movements and motions, staring at lights or spinning objects, ritualistic behaviors, resistance to change and extreme interests in specific topics. Those with ASD are almost always completely honest, sometimes brutally so, but you can trust what you’ve been told. People on the spectrum tend to live in the moment, they’re non-judgmental, possess extraordinary memories and are passionate about their interests. If you know or love someone with ASD, you likely already know and embrace those qualities. What you may not know is that when you’re on the spectrum, co-existing in a neurotypical world is work. For those who are able, navigating daily life and trying to fit in requires constant focus. It’s exhausting. Think how difficult it’s been to adjust  to the new COVID-19 rules—social distancing, working from home, home schooling, the inability to freely move about, the need to develop new routines, to not feel trapped, to not obsess about how much toilet paper you have—and you can begin to imagine how challenging it is for people on the spectrum to climb social hills every day of their lives. Since you most likely have extra time on your hands this Autism Awareness Month, why not do some of the work yourself? Learning more about how the people you care about are wired, empathizing with them, will help you to better connect with those on the spectrum, enhancing their lives and yours.  

Coping with Change and Quarantine During Uncertain Times

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates Change is constant, inevitable, good, and hard. Change plays an important role in life for growth and flexibility. It contributes to a full life. But with any change comes loss and it’s not unusual to feel sadness and grief; when it’s sudden, random and unwelcome it can be significant. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been abrupt and considerable. Learning to cope with such monumental change is a challenge for everyone. While those feelings need to be processed, it’s also important to accept and embrace change. It will help you better adapt and also help you and your loved ones to move forward. COVID-19 has caused a seismic shift in our culture and in almost every metric, altering the way we live our lives. It’s essentially shut down the world as we know it and may remain that way for the foreseeable future. Depending on where you live, you may have been ordered to “Stay at Home.” And whether that means you’re working from home, educating your kids at home, (or both), or just hunkering down, you’re feeling it. Almost everything we do: work, socialization, exercise, education, medical appointments, is now being done remotely. That’s a lot of adjustment for any individual, much less for families. Social connections are important to our health, happiness and feelings of connectivity. To best approach this pandemic and our current “Stay at Home” orders, experts advise to maintain a daily routine similar to your normal daily routine: get up and get dressed, keep your day structured, meal times should be regular, schedule activities within your home, and keep your life as normal as possible. Children who are living at home need their own methods of coping. Older kids are typically used to connecting with friends online, but for younger children who may miss seeing a friend or family member, you can: set up phone calls or FaceTime appointments, show them photos of their friends and loved ones, have them write and mail letters, and create a new set of normal behavior. The CDC website offers some other advice on how to support yourself and your loved ones while coping with the stress associated with quarantine and COVID-19:
  • Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting.
  • Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch or meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, and avoid alcohol and drugs. Make time to unwind. Try to do some other activities you enjoy.
  • Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling.
Call your healthcare provider if stress gets in the way of your daily activities for several days in a row. You can visit the CDC site and read more about dealing with Coronavirus at:  CDC.gov

Hope Trust serves clients throughout the United States.