[alex-moon]

I do this most nights just before bed.

I do this because I have really strong automatic negative thoughts, and always have. These can be really harmful to general flourishing, in particular by disrupting sleep and undermining self-confidence.

I don't really read these back. Rather, the writing itself is a kind of practice which aids processing of difficult emotions.

When I'm having difficult feelings, putting negative thoughts down in writing "gets them out of my head" which means I can let go of them, in turn easing the difficult feelings associated with them.

When I'm having positive feelings, putting a description of them down in writing forces me to notice them more than I would otherwise, which in turn inflates them.

Creating a balance of positive feelings to negative thoughts is one of the ways to take negative thoughts under control and manage them. What fires together wires together. Spiralling rumination is a seriously harmful thing to do to your own brain. Journalling is one way I manage this.

[joshcanhelp]

Totally the same for me RE negative thought processing. I find that I can really dive deep on the negativity and it doesn’t end up being all that helpful. I find that I have to be mindful that I’m not just wallowing in it but moving towards processing it. It feels like that intention is what helps me get what I need to put of the activity.