Issues That Cannot Be Solved Through Journaling

Issues That Cannot Be Solved Through Journaling

Journaling is a powerful tool. It can help you resolve many issues and transform your life for the better. It can help you make decisions and move beyond your fears. It can do all of this in a short amount of time if you are willing to put in the work and dedicate yourself to doing it.

 

Like any tool, however, it is not universal, and some issues cannot be addressed through journaling. Perhaps you can help ameliorate them with journaling, but in these cases, professional help, if available, is warranted.

 

The first of these things are mental illnesses. Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, and other mental illnesses have a biological basis and cannot be cured, only managed. Journaling can help you cope with these conditions but cannot cure them. Continue to see your providers and take your medications while you journal.

 

Physical disabilities and chronic illnesses also cannot be cured, by journaling or any other means. You can and should use your journal to help you cope and determine what accommodations you need and how to get them, but do not think that “changing your mindset” or any other such snake oil is going to provide a cure.

 

In these cases, one of the best uses of your journal is to use it for support and motivation to advocate for yourself to get the care and accommodations you need to continue living your life. Use your journal to motivate you to fight for yourself. because you are worth fighting for.

 

Finally, journaling alone cannot resolve actual trauma. This is especially true for intense or severe trauma. It can help, but it needs to be an accessory to other treatments, such as counseling, EMDR, and medications.

 

Seeking help might be hard to do, either because you are embarrassed or have limited resources, but if you do so, you will heal much faster than you would otherwise. Your journal will help but cannot do all the work. Keep in mind that there is no shame in needing help from others. We are social creatures and need support from other people!

 

Journaling is not useless in these instances and can still help. You should still use it and get what benefits you can from doing so. But it is not sufficient to solve these problems. Some problems are simply too big to solve by yourself. Seek help. You are worth it.