Panache

Journaling helps millions of people deal with their emotions in a better way. There are many journaling techniques to do that. One of them is Cognitive Journaling. If you are also interested in solving your problems by confronting them yourself, cognitive Journaling can help you. Read on to understand how.

Also read: How to approach journaling as a newbie?

What is Cognitive Journaling?

In layman’s language, cognitive journaling is facing your fears head-on. It is to know and understand yourself better by answering some self-reflecting questions about your current state of being. And why are you feeling the way you are feeling?

It can also involve questions like why you behave or react a certain way. What could be the possible causes of those reactions or behaviours? All of these questions are generally probed in a similar manner by a therapist. It is also known as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a form of psychological treatment that is used by therapists to treat various conditions like depression, anxiety, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders. Many therapists have reported it effective and observed major changes in people’s behaviour.

Cognitive Journaling is a way to do it but without the help of a third party like a therapist. It requires the utmost courage and patience from someone in order for it to be effective.

How does Cognitive Journaling work?

While cognitive journaling, you use some prompts or some questions. Thus, walking you through the five stages of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

These stages are:

1. Identifying the problem.
2. Challenging it.
3. Replacing it with something positive or productive.
4. Tracking the solution.
5. Maintaining the outcome.

Below are some ways in which Cognitive Journaling can change your life for the better.

Makes you mindful.

One of the best things that cognitive journaling immediately introduces in your lifestyle is mindfulness. To answer the tough questions asked in your journal like, How are you feeling in the moment? Makes you become aware of yourself.

In this way, your mind not only becomes self-aware but it also becomes aware of your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. It is a kind of checklist, you do once every day to know if you are okay or not.

Once you get into the practice of knowing or checking how you feel. You will realize how important it is and how easily you can control your emotions. You can immediately become aware of them. Thus, filter out the negative ones and keep the positive ones.

You can also further investigate why are you feeling the way you are feeling in the moment. And where do those feelings stem from?

Result-oriented approach.

Cognitive Journaling is not like regular journaling. As the name suggests it is journaling with reasons and clear objectives. For example, if you have been feeling you have started using social media, you would start journaling about the same.

You would dive deep into why you have started using social media more. You realize that you have been using it for escapism purposes. Next, you will write about what you have been escaping from and why you need to escape from your current life.

This way, you can assess by understanding more about your regular habits. You can know why your behaviour is the way it is. Why do you live in a certain way? Why do you feel a certain way? You can go deep and know about your problems to change them.

Next, you can make a deliberate and slow change to mold your life in the way you want it to be.

Get to the root of the problem.

Cognitive Journaling is not about expressing your problem. It is about understanding the cause of it and changing it if necessary.  When you confront the issue written right in front of you, you have no choice but to face it and get to the root of it.

That proves to be the most difficult task for the people who want to change but can’t do it because (1) they don’t know how. (2) they don’t know why. (3) they don’t know what can they do to make things different.

This type of journaling can help problem-solving individuals by showing them a guideline about where to go and how to approach a certain problem. It would be clear to them if they are able to deal with it on their own or if would they need someone’s help to get to the root of the problem.

Helps you help yourself.

There are a lot of people who still can’t afford therapy. This is the population that is affected by mental health issues and other issues in their lives. A majority of the population is suffering from loneliness in the current world. Though they need help they don’t know how to get it or can’t afford it through any means.

Cognitive Journaling can help save their lives. They can finally see where and what the problem is. They can come up with the most exclusive solution for them. They can implement it and change it accordingly.

Most importantly, it would simply require some courage and some determination for them to seek solutions. Once they are brave enough and persevere to see things through. They can make a dramatic change in their lives and therefore help themselves.

Helps you understand yourself.

Any therapist spends a substantial amount of time understanding you. Though they are experts. But they help you by ruling out everything that can’t help you. Eventually, come up with the best way to help you given your problem.

However, when you’re trying to understand yourself, with the help of cognitive journaling. You also enlighten yourself. You are looking at yourself in the mirror. And finally seeing things that you ignored at first glance.

You do not spend time convincing anyone. You do not need to put effort into expressing yourself so someone can help you. You already know yourself. All you need to do is focus on something that has been a roadblock in your life.

So, you understand yourself in a better way. To help yourself in a better way. Hence become a better person one step at a time.

Face your demons.

What demons have been hiding in your head? Have you been scared of those demons? Like you have been scared of the demons under your bed as a kid. But since now you are an adult, it is time to face your demons. And one of the best ways to do it is Cognitive Journaling.

Through this type of journaling, you need to get your answers right. Since you are responsible for finding the solutions to the problem. You are both who answers and who questions. You already know if you are not going to answer right, you will never be able to solve your problem. Hence, it is your responsibility to get it right.

This way, you will not only know who your demons are but you will also face them. You will be able to devise a method to beat them at their game. Because your objective is to have a healthy and fulfilled life. This act is courageous and you will be proud of it.

Develop healthy coping mechanisms.

Sometimes, life becomes all about survival. It gives you traumas you were not even aware of. You are subjected to the kind of pain you were not responsible for not even aware that it will hurt so much. And yet, you pay the consequences of it without even realizing it.

To survive through the pain, you are bound to develop some coping mechanisms. That does not mean those practices are good in the long term. What if you realize it? What if you want to change it as well? In that case, cognitive journaling can help you.

You can go back and find the cause of the problem. Find the reason you developed those toxic mechanisms. Sometimes, without even being aware of it. And now you can change it. You can solve the same problem but with a different approach. Sit through the pain and try to heal it. No matter how much time and energy it takes.

Helps in tracking progress.

You know sometimes, healing takes decades. That too with continued efforts, resilience, and patience. But you need to be motivated too. You need to know how far you have come from where you have started. It will help you in self-reflection and determining where to go next.

Cognitive Journaling helps you keep a step-by-step progress report. So, you can see where you were six months ago to where you can be a year later. How it was difficult for you to reply to those prompts initially but now you can easily answer as you have made some progress.

It is the best way to track your progress. It is also one of the best ways to decide different milestones for yourself. So, you do not get discouraged or feel low about your journey towards overcoming your demons.

Conclusion.

It is not easy to face your problems. And it is okay to be distracted and run away from the solutions. They can be hard to follow. You may need the help from a specialist. Don’t be scared of asking for help from a friend. Or ask for some prompts from your therapist exclusively for yourself.

This way, you will be able to work together and come up with a better and healthier solution. Because your end goal should be to face your problem with reason and not with emotions.

Also read: This one journaling exercise can give you closure.

Also read: How to do gratitude journaling the right way?

Also read: 10 things to remember while shadow work journaling.