Mental Health and the Benefits of Journaling

Posted on January 7, 2022February 14, 2025 by Shield Insurance Agency

Diabetes.org | Mental Health | Shield Health Insurance

Journaling has been recommended for years as a way to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression—but mood journals are unique.

Unlike regular journals, which are usually meant for chronicling your day-to-day life, mood journals are a place to focus specifically on your feelings and emotions. They’ve become increasingly popular, as apps and online mood trackers have emerged on the Internet. But they are more than just a trend: Research shows they can be effective tools to help people manage chronic health conditions.

A study published in the journal JIMR Mental Health looked at 70 adults with various medical symptoms who also experienced anxiety. Participants were asked to keep a web-based journal for 15 minutes a day, three days a week, for 12 weeks. Those who did so reported less stress and better moods. People with diabetes are often bothered or stressed out by experiences or challenges in our lives, and this can crowd out or displace positive experiences, thoughts and reflection. Journaling allows you to refocus on more positive topics, such as good experiences or strong relationships. That, in turn, can tamp down stress hormones that affect overall health.

A landmark study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology found that people who wrote about past traumatic experiences had lower blood pressure and heart rates, as well as increases in T-cells, which help fight disease, compared with those who wrote about superficial things.

Mental Health Feelings to the Forefront

A mood journal gives you a place to release thoughts and feelings that you may not be acknowledging. For many, the problem with our emotions is not the emotions that we have but the fact that we don’t know how to express them. For example, have you ever been frustrated when you couldn’t find the right blood glucose test strips or another diabetes supply you need at your local pharmacy and noticed your blood glucose go up along with your anxiety?

It’s not surprising. As levels of stress hormones such as epinephrine (adrenaline) rise, more glucose is released from the liver. But at the same time, cortisol levels rise, which causes body tissue (both muscle and fat) to be less sensitive to insulin. The result: more glucose in your bloodstream.

The good news is that lowered stress can lead to other health benefits. When you feel better about yourself, you’re more likely to stick to healthy habits, such as getting enough sleep and regular physical activity.

Writing down your thoughts may also help you break not-so-healthy patterns. Say, for instance, potato chips have become your go-to snack. Jot some notes about how you’re feeling and include what happened right before. You may realize that you got into an argument with someone or were late to a meeting and were so upset from those events that you turned to comfort food. Catching yourself at the time and actually writing down your feelings can give you the information you need to understand your motivation and make a different choice.

How to get started to Improve your mental health

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Can’t Find Time For Self-Care? Try ‘Habit Stacking.’

Posted on November 20, 2021February 14, 2025 by Shield Insurance Agency

This extremely simple productivity hack will instantly carve out time for yourself in a way you never thought of before.

By Alexandra Frost 11/11/2021 05:45am EST | Updated November 11, 2021

We live in a world where it seems like everyone is doing the most. They’re getting their work done, they’re keeping their houses clean and they’re seeing their loved ones ― all while making time to practice self-care. Seeing others “mastering” balanced lives can feel defeating, particularly when you struggle to get through even two tasks on your to-do list.

Of course, sometimes doing nothing is productive, and we all know what we see on social media isn’t always a reflection of reality. But if you are struggling to make some time for yourself, you might just need to do some strategizing.

This is where “habit stacking” comes in, a term created by author SJ Scott in his 2014 book on the topic.

Habit stacking might seem like another kitschy self-improvement hack, but it may just be the mental trick that helps you stick to your quests long term. The strategy involves listing habits you already have ― such as walking the dog or driving to work ― that are already quite easy and routine for you, and attaching new self-care methods on top of them.

Ready to try it yourself? Here’s how to make sure your habit stacking sticks:

Start by picking a small new habit

This can include anything you are hoping to improve on. It should be a self-care technique that makes you feel good, but not necessarily something you always have time to do.

The key here is to start off as granular as possible. Say you want to get some movement in, but just writing “exercise” on your to-do list seems like a lofty goal. Instead, add a workout move you’re trying to master to the end of a habit you already do each day.

Diane Boden, host of the “Minimalist Moms” podcast and author of “Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity,” practices this each morning by adding pushups after the habit of brushing her teeth.

“If I already practice one behavior, why not attach another to it? The connectivity makes all the difference in maintaining new habits you’d like to develop,” she said, noting that eventually your new habit will become second nature. “Can you get yourself to a point where the habits you desire to cultivate become reflexive?

Write out a list of everyday habits you already do, then stack them together in a way that makes sense

Mentally roll through your normal routine and jot down the automatic behaviors you do each day, like Boden with brushing her teeth. Other options can include getting out of bed, brewing coffee, changing out of work clothes or getting into bed.

Listing these on paper will help you realize the long list of possibilities and find the area of your day that works best for you. For example, Allison Chawla, a psychotherapist in New York, recommended stacking sitting down to dinner with a gratitude moment.

Other potential combinations could be something like meditate for just one minute while brewing your coffee, doing a few yoga poses immediately after changing out of your work clothes or journaling for five minutes when you get into bed.

Boden prefers to stack habits in categories, such as combining two health and fitness habits. For example, you could drink a glass of water before and after your daily walk, improving your health habits in multiple ways.

Build up these combinations slowly for most success

The endgame here is for your brain to automatically associate one habit with another, so this won’t happen overnight.

And don’t try to do too much at once, either. Say you have multiple self-care habits you want to try, like journaling and meditating. What you should not do is string all these habits together or try all the combinations in one day — hence the “stacking.” Focus on making the journaling a daily routine before jumping to that and meditation.

Try not to get discouraged if it takes a long time. “It’s a lifestyle change, so people often don’t see the results they want because they are productive in one aspect but they lose that productivity in another way,” said Andre Pinesett, a physician and student productivity and performance coach.

Also keep in mind that multitasking, which research shows can be inefficient and counterproductive, is not habit stacking and is not helpful, Pinesett added. Instead of trying to do these habits at the same time (can you brush your teeth while doing a pushup?), use one as a cue for the next one to start.

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4 Mood-Boosting Activities

Posted on April 28, 2020February 6, 2025 by Shield Insurance Agency

4 mood-boosting activities to keep your mind happy during COVID-19 lock-down

Music, journaling, and spending time with your pets are all science-backed ways to boost mental health during stressful times.

Dancing and singing a happy tune with your loved ones
can boost your mental health.

Expressing your artistic self has profound positive impacts on your mental health and wellbeing during times of stress.
“Knitting and other forms of textile crafting such as sewing, weaving or crocheting have quite a lot in common with mindfulness and meditation,” according to neuroscientist Dr. Sarah McKay.
Spending quality time with your pets can also have beneficial impacts, including lowered cortisol levels and a boosted immune system.

Arts and crafts

Arts and crafts time with your kids (or diving into a new hobby such as quilting on your own) can do wonders for your mental health, and serve as mood-boosting activities according to several studies.

In a 2016 study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, 658 students were asked to keep diaries over the span of 13 days. The students documented their mental states during various crafting activities including painting, sculpting, knitting, scrapbooking, sewing, and crocheting.

Participants who engaged in creative activities were:

more enthusiastic about returning to that activity on another day
experienced a positive mood boost during their craft activity
felt inspired to be productive and creative in other ways

The study also found that people who engaged in regular crafting activities experienced what psychologists call “flourishing,” which is a process of internal growth and purpose provoking mood-boosting activities. Lead author Dr. Tamlin S. Connor reports: “Overall, these findings support the emerging emphasis on everyday creativity as a means of cultivating positive psychological functioning.”

Neuroscience backs up this thinking: the reward center in your brain releases the neurotransmitter dopamine when you do something pleasurable. While our brains are used to releasing dopamine to make us repeat activities that are essential to our survival (like eating or having sex), over time we’ve evolved so that the brain can emit dopamine signals during fun activities like decorating a cake or painting on a canvas.An article written by neuroscientist Dr. Sarah McKay explains: “Knitting and other forms of textile crafting such as sewing, weaving or crocheting have quite a lot in common with mindfulness and meditation, all are reported to have a positive impact on mental health and well-being.”

Karaoke time

Music is also a mood-boosting activity. According to a University of East Anglia (UEA) study, there are several benefits to belting a tune along with a group of people. The results of the study showed that:

Social engagement with others gives people a sense of belonging and well-being that often lasts all day.
Being part of a group dynamic also helps improve social skills and confidence.
Taking part in a fun activity helps improve your mood and allows you to function better on a day-to-day basis.

Tuning into your favorite radio station, playing a karaoke video game, or creating a Spotify playlist your whole family can sing along to is going to have an uplifting effect on everyone’s mood during what is (for most) a very difficult self-isolation period.

Professor Tom Shakespeare, the lead on the study, explains: “We found that singing as part of a group contributes to people’s recovery from mental health problems. For some, it represented one component of a wider program of support. For others, it stood out as key to their recovery or maintenance of health. But the key thing for everyone was that it induced fun and happiness.”

This isn’t the only experiment to prove these results: Other music therapy studies have shown a positive boost in social connection, cognitive stimulation, mental health, and enjoyment.

Spending quality time with pets

Spending time with your pets provides hormonal changes that decrease stress and promote mood-boosting

While this isn’t news to dog owners, you may be surprised to learn just how beneficial spending time with your dog can be. Research from the University of Missouri-Columbia suggests that a few minutes of petting your dog prompts a release of serotonin, prolactin, and oxytocin, all known for being “feel-good” and “pleasure-inducing” hormones.

Having a pet can boost immunity.

A 2018 study suggests that infants who are exposed to pets before they are 6 months old have a decreased likelihood of allergies. Pets may also reduce the chances of hay fever, eczema, and upper respiratory infections.

Additionally, having a dog in your home may help balance out or even boost your gut health because dogs have many different types of beneficial bacteria.

Owning a cat or dog can improve cardiovascular health and lower blood pressure.

According to researchers at SUNY Buffalo, participants in a 2004 study who were already taking medication for hypertension showed blood pressure decreases in response to owning a cat or dog. In fact, their blood pressure response to stress was cut in half by spending time with their pet doing mood-boosting activities.

Journaling or expressive writing

Similar to crafting, writing about your personal experiences can help improve your mood, boost happiness, and help you find catharsis during a time of trouble or stress.

During the stressful COVID-19 pandemic, stress and panic seem to be spreading just as quickly as the virus. Writing about your lock-down experience during this time can help decrease your anxiety and increase your mental well-being, according to research.

In a 2006 behavioral therapy study, participants who wrote in the expressive writing style (journaling or the act of keeping a diary) showed significantly lower depression symptoms than those who did not. In a separate North Western University study, this time focused on married couples who were asked to write about a conflict they were experiencing, those who explored their problems together through expressive writing showed greater improvement in marital happiness than those who didn’t write about their issues.

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