Dear diary — just how, exactly, do I keep a journal? How indeed. Journaling is another one of those notorious habits to add to our long to-do list of productive things that we promise will happen after ‘just one more episode’ or worse ‘I’ll do that tomorrow.’ It’s an all-too-easy trap to put things off and never do them. Nonetheless, scientists have swooped in to save us repeating our old childhood diary blunders and prove there is, in fact, a method to this apparent madness —and mystery— which makes journaling infinitely easier. 

There’s no etiquette to journaling (except maybe ditch the ‘dear diary’ convention for your own sake and the notorious ‘Cheesiness Problem’). As with all habits, the hardest part is sticking to the damn thing. A blank page makes it all the more intimidating. To break the ice, Barker recommends baby steps: ‘Use a technique that Stanford professor BJ Fogg calls “minimum viable effort.”’ Exactly what’s needed in lockdown.

‘The important thing with building a habit is being consistent. So start with the absolute minimum amount of work — a ridiculously low amount — so that you have no excuse but to be consistent.’ It’s hard to dispute that logic. In practice, a baby step is a sentence: ‘Just one sentence.’ Sounds simple enough. ‘There’s no excuse not to do that.’ Then week-by-week, step-by-step, ideally the number of sentences gradually increase as you strengthen your habit and sharpen motivation – as taxing as that may sound at first.

Lie to yourself: if we promise ourselves ’just one sentence,’ much like ‘just another episode,’ we both know that’s not true and, once you start, you’re bound to binge. 

The next conundrum: what to write. Good question. Whilst it may be natural to default to a run-of-the-mill checklist of the day’s events, like all the embarrassing childhood diaries were, science has burst our bubble. As Burkeman says, we should be digging into our deepest, darkest secrets and emotional traumas too. Yikes. But like all tales, there’s a technique to telling trauma: writing expressively.

For those blissfully unaware, this means intertwining your emotions into descriptions of events. Fictionalising your life is another way to put it – blending fact with subjective experience. A 2005 study found this emotional output led to psychological, and surprisingly physical health benefits, too. The paper’s authors put it: ‘It’s all about bringing up issues that are emotionally charged’ and mulling over them as a way to cognitively process. It allows thoughts to flow and stops them getting stuck in our brain, triggering anxiety.’

But making yourself the main character of your memoir luckily doesn’t stop there. A 2014 study found that when subjects wrote in ‘a form of a narrative that focused on positive outcomes in negative situations,’ led to a decrease in emotional distress – this is called a ‘redemptive narrative’. This may be the key to escape some of the emotional turmoil, being locked up again for the third time and all. Third-person perspective offers the wisdom attained by externalising thoughts, much like confiding in a friend. Which is likely why journaling is so cathartic –we excel at internalising emotions, so bending our nature backwards by releasing them is freeing. The good news about journaling is that, unlike going to a friend, there thankfully won’t be any unsolicited advice. 

Even better news, narrativising your life may offer some resolution in knowing there will be peace. Like movie timelines, moments are put into perspective in correlation with the good, the bad and the ugly of the past, present and future. Journaling is our real-life, knock-off equivalent of contextualising emotions and memories like this. If this emotional outpour feels a little out of your depth, gratitude journaling may be a baby step in the right direction.

In short, to reap what you sow, there’s no way about it other than to ditch the self-conscious voice in your head and write like no one’s watching – or like no one will find it. On that note, perhaps it’s best to hide the journal in a really safe space and don’t tell a soul. Disguising it amongst books might be the best bet if the thought of someone finding it makes you queasy. Nonetheless, journaling doesn’t have to be a sit-down emotional interrogation, either. It’s the classic case of ‘it is what you make of it.’ 

Journaling doesn’t have to be the old-fashioned pen-to-paper action, which is a relief to everyone who’s caught up to the 21st century. Choose a medium that best fits your lifestyle and your schedule. In other words, journaling can be on-the-go in the notes app if needs be. It’s that simple. With that in mind though, evidence suggests handwriting is ultimately the better option, sadly. One Yale psychologist says ‘With handwriting, the very act of putting it down forces you to focus on what’s important. Maybe it helps you think better.’ The ‘maybe’ might be good justification to take this with a pinch of salt if the digital medium goes more in your favour. 

It’s reassuring to remember journaling isn’t a diet cleanse or a one-size-fits-all. The secret is, science doesn’t know how hard it can be or how long you’ve been procrastinating. Pick and choose what will make you stick to it— that’s what matters. A time, a medium and a method – these are the pillars to subscribe to. Find what suits your taste— experiment!

If in doubt, when faced with a crippling case of writer’s block, be glad to know you don’t have to pour your heart out on the daily. In fact, it’s even suggested journaling might lose efficacy if it’s done every day. A relief!  There’s nothing to lose really — except cutting ties with those scheming pests called ‘emotions’ of course. 

Read More From Life&Style:

How Painting Became My Lockdown Lifeline

Quarantine: What Are You Grateful For?

Hobbies in Lockdown: Beating The Pressure to Be Productive

Why Mental Health Support on Streaming Services is Important