Do you keep a journal? Many of us do. Indeed, I do.
Over the last couple of months I’ve become obsessed with reading the published diaries of writers and artists. These have included the diaries of English writer Sylvia Townsend Warner, the collected diaries of Australian writer Helen Garner, the war diaries of Simone de Beauvoir, and the journal of American sculptor, Anne Truitt. My ‘Diary Reading List’ already included the journals of Katherine Mansfield, Virginia Woolf, Evelyn Waugh, George Sand, Sylvia Plath, Dorothy Wordsworth, Elizabeth Smart and May Sarton. Please do recommend any favourites that I’ve missed…
Now, at first glance, there wouldn’t appear to be any obvious correlation between journalling and longevity. From this list alone, only the poet May Sarton and the writer Sylvia Townsend Warner lived beyond the age of 80, and – of course – Helen Garner is still very much alive and kicking, aged 83. None of them, however, suffered from dementia.
So is there a link between journalling and brain health? New evidence, gleaned from studies carried out over the last two decades, suggests that keeping a journal/ diary can help us in innumerable ways, both mental and physical.
The Irish writer, William Allingham, explained his fervent journalling like this:
‘I care for my old diaries for the sake of the past, the sad, sacred, happy Past, whose pains, fears, sorrows, have put on the calm of eternity – mysterious Past, forever gone, forever real, whose footsteps I see on every page, invisible to other eyes.’
More recently, the writer Jean McNeil wrote ‘I keep diaries not only to bear witness … but because I know how much of life we forget… Diaries are useful because they record the flavour and texture of that fleet animal called reality before it is converted into history.’
Which is to say, journalling can keep us connected to our previous selves, and better able to recall our own pasts.
Studies show that regular diary-writers often report improved mood, reduced depressive symptoms, and greater psychological well-being. Randomized-controlled trials have documented reductions in stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among journal-keepers.
It appears that keeping a journal in which we express and explore our feelings can help us reflect, process and come to terms with events and emotions in our lives. And this, in turn, has intriguing effects on our physical health. According to one study, journal-writers experienced long-term benefits that included fewer stress-related doctor visits, improved immune function, improved lung and liver function, and fewer days hospitalised.
How to explain this? Well, more research is definitely needed. But researchers hypothesise that releasing stress, anguish and confusion onto the pages of our journals means less cortisol dashing round our bodies. We become calmer and clearer: our immunity improves and our inflammation falls because we’re less stressed.
In some cases of chronic illness, like asthma and rheumatoid arthritis for example, journalling has been associated with improvements in symptoms or disease severity. In fact one study found that journalling known as expressive writing (ie where we explore, examine and express significant emotions and responses rather than list what we’ve done during the day!) also:
- Reduced pain and improved overall physical health in cancer;
- Improved immune response in HIV infection;
- Decreased hospitalizations for cystic fibrosis;
- Reduced pain intensity in women with chronic pelvic pain;
- Improved sleep-onset latency in poor sleepers;
- Improved overall immunity.
And all without a single side effect! For more complex, mental conditions (like PTSD), regular journalling has been found to be as effective as therapy. If you’re interested in this, I’d urge you to listen to the neuroscientist Andrew Huberman’s podcast which is an astonishing dive into how journalling can effectively blunt trauma, by rewiring certain pathways in the brain.
The idea that journalling can change us biologically began with a psychologist called Jamie Pennebaker who discovered that ‘expressive writing’ can affect us at a cellular level. 2,200 papers have been published since Pennebaker’s pioneering study – finding lowered blood pressure, better sleep, fewer GP visits, a reduction in the recurrence of heart attacks, better antibody response to vaccinations, faster wound healing, improved biological markers for tissue recovery, fewer sick days, better exam results – and so on.
Pennebaker thinks more is going on than the cathartic release of stress. When we verbally process complex and difficult things, we have to identify and name our feelings, a practice that is known to increase life satisfaction. ‘Your writing goes from more emotional to more cognitive,’ explains journalling researcher, Elizabeth Broadbent. And this means we are better able to understand and manage our lives, actions and emotions. When we organise our experiences and responses into a clear narrative (which is easier on the page than by talking), they cease to overwhelm, intimidate or confuse us. These things, says Broadbent (in Roland Allen’s excellent book, The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper), are ‘no longer sitting at the back of our mind, having a subconscious effect. You’ve brought it to the surface, dealt with it, made sense of it, now you can move on.’
What fascinated me here, was Broadbent’s term, subconscious. We can suffer from health-damaging stress without even being conscious of it. Scribbling, free-form, in a journal, might help us excavate and order niggling, inarticulate feelings with astonishing results for our biology.
Note: if you want to try expressive writing but worry that you’re at risk of dredging up things you feel ill-equipped to handle, consider taking a course in this style of journalling. There are several online courses – please let us know if you’ve tried any of them.
But journalling also has other, less medical benefits. When we keep a journal, we leave a little bit of ourselves to posterity.
While I was in Switzerland, a woman asked me for advice on a book. She thrust the book across the table: it was an old diary, written in ink over a period of 20 years, starting in 1939.
‘My grandmother’s diary,’ she explained. ‘I’ve transcribed and translated it but I don’t know what to do with it.’
As I leafed through it, mentally translating from French to English, I saw what a very special journal this was. On these mottled, inky pages, a woman who died forty years ago, burst back into life. Her words painted a vivid picture of a long-gone world, but she seemed very present. This book, I thought, was one of the greatest gifts that could be bequeathed. I suggested that my Swiss friend respond to her grandmother’s diary, in writing, effectively creating a dialogue between the two of them.
And so a diary might also be a gift that keeps on giving – long after we have passed away – reconnecting us, our lives and experiences, with future beings. Perhaps offering wisdom and ideas to a generation we will never know.
I’ll leave you with some rather lovely lines from George Sand’s diary, written in her 65th year:
‘It seems to me that we change day to day and that at the end of some years one is a new being … Here I am, very old, gently living through my sixty-fifth year … I am absolutely calm, it is an old age chaste in mind and body. I do not regret my youth, I have no desire for glory or money, except to leave a little to my children and grandchildren.’
Sand uses her journal to come to terms with her changing character and her mortality. Although what I most love about this paragraph is her description of being ‘very old’ at the age of sixty-five. I don’t know a single 65-year old who thinks of themselves as ‘very old’! Her diary is a poignant reminder of how lucky we are to be alive now, despite the gloom and doom headlines of current newspapers.
Do you journal? Would you recommend it? Or perhaps you have a diary from a deceased relative which has helped you in some way? We’d love to hear. Please put any comments in the Comment Box – we reply to everything!
I promised to write about walking poles – I’ve been delayed as I’m about to trial some very interesting poles designed by a physiotherapist. But my next post will – I promise – investigate the new studies and styles of walking pole.
I’m now off to write my journal – of course!
Annabel
Fascinating! Thank you for collating this research for us.
I am a big believer in journals and have written one since I was 10; I am now 61. In earlier times, not every day but since I stopped work I have done it every day. As well as what I do and think, I record weather and temperature, moon phases, steps, exercise and recently sunrise and sunset times. I find it incredibly helpful for my wellbeing and provides a great structure in my life. It also allows me to indulge my love of beautiful notebooks, fountain pens and coloured inks. Handwriting it is key; I tried typing but it just didn’t have the same confessional calming quality for me.
I keep other journals: gardening (separate ones for what I do and techniques), books read, drawing/painting (actual sketches and courses I take), knitting projects and recipes. I love the way they chart successes, failures, learnings, directions, progress, reflections. All of these are physical handwritten journals.
I have my daily journals in two or three large storage boxes. I used to worry about what to do with them after I’ve gone (I do not have children) but I then discovered ‘The Great Diary Project’ (https://thegreatdiaryproject.co.uk #greatdiaryproject) which collects all diaries, stores them and makes them publicly available. TGDP was nspired by old found diaries and concerned that in an increasingly digital age, testimonials of everyday life will disappear and be unavailable to future generations. They’re really keen that people who know about TGDP act as Baker Street Irregulars (Conan Doyle’s invention adopted byTGDP co-founder Dr Irving Finkel) to spread the word about their project. I have included instructions in the letter of wishes annexed to my will and encourage people to send their own and inherited diaries there.
Thanks Georgy, this is very interesting and very helpful indeed! I didn’t know about TGDP so will highlight that in an upcoming post. What a great project. And your journals sound the perfect addition – so much info for future researchers, historians, writers etc. And yes, beautiful notebooks and lovely pens (I too write with a fountain pen and hate it when I have to write with some other ‘instrument’!)… wise advice! Thank you for sharing this…
I’ve kept a journal for many years. Apart from capturing the present for the future, it’s an interesting and useful personal record. People think of memory as a filing cabinet, when actually it’s more like a garden: things left there change and grow or disappear.
Sometimes I recall that event A caused event B, when my journal shows that B came first. My memory has tidied things up to a neater, more rational version.
I love the idea of memory as a garden – so beautiful and so much more appropriate than a filing cabinet! Thank you!
I have kept a diary, on and off, since my school days. I still have them all and I’m now 62. I think my diaries are more what I’ve done with a fluttering of some deeper thinking and analysis. I’ve never gone back and read through them but maybe one day. There is a slight fear that I might miss ‘my old self’ or think ‘what were you talking about’! I now use a very simple journaling app on my phone, which means I can add photos if I want. I’m retired so it’s helpful in remembering what we did when! 😉😂
That’s a good idea, although I’m very partial to handwriting so the app won’t work for me – but I love the idea of including photographs. You might be interested to know that Helen Garner (whose Collected Diaries are riveting and just won a big literary award) says she re-reads hers constantly. The thought intrigued me although she didn’t say why she kept re-reading them… sometimes I re-read mine and am amazed at how quickly I’ve forgotten things. It’s good to be reminded sometimes… Thanks for the comment!
Ahh I love this one! I always look forward to your newsletters in my inbox. But, this one resonates so much because I am avid journalist and am always trying to encourage my anxious partner to start one. I love how you shared all of the benefits, and am excited to dive into the writers and artists you mentioned. I am also going to send this to my three adult children to encourage them to start as well! Keep writing and sharing, it is such gift to all of us. Happy Holidays!
Thank you for your kind words Annemarie – much appreciated! Delighted to hear of your ‘avid’ journalling. Keep going!
Thank you, I kept a very special journal as my husband became ill in 2013. We were both 60, we had twelve weeks until he died. I wrote of how we spent our days, my thoughts and emotions, “….we feel so much has happened so quickly with not much discussion about alternatives. There are none, it is terminal…”
I am so grateful that I wrote at the time, it gave me strength to cope and to continue my life in the best way I can, after the loss of someone so very special.
“As the buds burst into leaf on the trees – a little late this year – and the birdsong increases, so my darling deteriorates at a frightening speed … he is so poorly now”
I continued to write after his death, sending postcards to him about the places I’d been and how I’d been thinking of him and all the wonderful memories we’d made together and sharing my new ones.
Thank you so much for sharing this, Caroline. And what beautiful and moving words! I suspect that deep grief is often a prompt to keep a journal and it’s lovely that you’ve continued, as that is now, inadvertently, also part of your husband’s legacy to you. I first kept a diary when I was young and wanted to record a painful love affair – afterwards I burnt it, and I wish I hadn’t because now I can’t remember quite how difficult it was, and I think it would be useful for me to remember. So, hang on to them! See also the comment below from Georgy about The Great Diary Project… Who knew?!
From 1988 to 2016 we lived in a house which was two converted farm cottages built at least in 1850 in Essex. I created 5 journals of daily life, nature, finances, memorable events and tales from people who passed by who used to live there. A historical record which is fun to look back on and see what happened on a certain day or month.
What a lovely gift to future owners (should you ever wish to do that), or perhaps consider The Great Diary Project (see the Comment from Georgy below). Imagine if every new home came with a diary of its life? What a treat! Thank you for sharing this wonderful idea!
During covid The Art Society did a talk with a professor involved with the Great Diary Project but it was on hold due to the pandemic. I did think about donating them but enjoy them for nature I w
Ah that would have been an interesting talk …
If you think someone is going to read what you have written, this would surely constrain what you write, and would you get the full benefit?
I would only do it knowing my writing would be destroyed prior to my death.
Yes, definitely constraining! So if you’re writing things you wouldn’t want anyone else to – ever – see, it might be sensible to enlist someone to do a ‘Cassandra Austen’ on your behalf! I know some expressive writers who do regular culls…
I understand the concern and certainly one I had when I had fewer privacy options. You could write sensitive material in code. That’s what I used to do (intrusive mother!) and though simple it stopped a casual reader being nosy. It doesn’t have to be as impenetrable as, say, Anne Lister’s. A one for one letter substitute plus some abbreviations is enough to be a bit of a smokescreen…
I am delighted you’ve covered journalling as a health benefit and I enjoyed reading others’ comments (still with tears in my eyes after reading one of them). I first attempted a journal at age 16 but unfortunately my mother was a snoop and I quickly stopped. I didn’t pick it up again as a regular habit until around age 40, first hand-written but later I moved to writing on my laptop where I felt more secure about privacy as I often lived in shared housing. I still prefer to write on my laptop as I now have a chronic illness which, among other symptoms, has destroyed my handwriting and I find it challenging to fill out even simple forms.
Journalling has helped enormously in dealing with the psychological impact of a chronic illness and losing my ability to work full time around age 50 (I just turned 70). I try to do both expressive writing and details of daily life; I also record such things as weather details, sunrise/sunset times, etc. as mentioned by another respondent. Doing so was wonderfully grounding when I first became very ill and barely able to do anything at all for a couple of years.
And I love the idea of the Great Diary Project – a few years ago I sent them my grandparents’ diaries that I’d inherited when my parents died; I was so glad I didn’t have to throw them out or risk their being thrown out by a younger family member in the future.
I’ve been reading more memoirs recently but will now go and track down some of the published diaries and journals you mentioned. I read May Sarton years ago and loved it, and had completely forgotten about it!
Thank you for this! As a writer of historical fiction (among other things) I find all those little details – weather for instance – really useful. I was recently trying to find out about heatwaves in the 1890s – and personal diaries came to my rescue. Yes, lots of great diaries to read. I raced through Garner’s and loved Simone de Beauvoir’s Wartime Diaries too. But actually, one other book I’d recommend based on the diaries of ‘normal’ people (ie not writers) is Can Any Mother Help Me? This is a compilation of diaries from new mothers back in (I think) the 40s – it was utterly engrossing. Happy reading!
That sounds like a very interesting read – thank you 🙏🏽 And I’m a big fan of historical fiction. Just finished The Glass Maker by Tracey Chevalier which I loved.
Hi Annabel, thank you. This resonates, as so often with the blog. Every so often I open up a copy of Julia Cameron’s Artists Way book, for the encouragement to keep a journal to overcome writer’s block. In my understanding it’s about writing down daily whatever rubbish that comes into your head, at least 2 pages of it – and that after that the creative juices will flow ??? But I never really get started, there just isn’t the time to spare.
I’m reading now that expressive writing, in particular “narrative” expressive writing, can moderately affect Heart Rate Variability scoring. So now maybe, I will get to do some sort of diary, some sort of regular practice, even if it’s only for a couple of minutes each day.
Yes, indeed, Cameron’s Morning Pages idea is probably a version of expressive writing. Fascinating the effect writing has on the body, even HRV and heart rate as this study of newly-separated couples shows https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28481761/. Keep – or start – writing!
Thanks for the encouragement!