Journaling is a mindfulness technique that helps you control your symptoms and improve your mood by helping you prioritize problems, fears, and concerns; tracking any symptoms day-to-day so that you can recognize triggers and learn ways to better control them; and providing an opportunity for positive self-talk and identifying negative thoughts and emotions. Today, it is no longer conventional to pick up a pen and notebook to jot down our thoughts and emotions. With the rise of technology, these items are not as accessible as they used to be and are not always at reach when you need them – but your phone is!
Contrary to the belief that the rise of technology and the constant use of smart phones can be damaging to our mental health, using our devices can, in fact, be beneficial when it comes to the popular mindfulness technique that is journaling. Sure, you could open your notes app and type down your feelings as you normally would on a conventional notebook, but why not make use of the apps that we are constantly using to better our mental health and help us stay grounded?
Modern Day Photo Journaling and its Benefits
Modern day photo journaling can be done using just about any app you use – from Instagram to Snapchat. Simply snap a picture of yourself or something that is relevant to the emotion that you are feeling when you feel the need to journal and start typing. Not only does this modern-day method of journaling serve the purpose, but using photography gives you the opportunity to look back at the exact moments in which you decided to jot down your feelings and track your progress in the long run.
With app features such as “Memories” and “Archived Snaps”, technology makes it easy to do this. Not only is this an everyday accessible method to use at any point in the day in which you feel the need to ground yourself, but it also allows you the option to hide these entrees so that they are only accessible to you, and so that you can choose not to see them if you do not want to and be reminded of a feeling or event that may be a trigger to you.
Have you tried photo journaling yet? Throw your notebook away and get started today!