8 мин.
You Don’t *Need* Therapy, You Need a Journal Voice Notes from Maryam 💝
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Listen to this Voice Note from Maryam onApple Podcasts || Spotify || YouTube
A lot of people today think that they NEED therapy. This is mainly due to the high-stress lives we’re living, but therapy isn’t a NEED for everyone. It’s a nice-to-have for everyone. In fact, it’s a strong nice-to-have. But is it a NEED? I doubt it is.
Now, are there cases where people do NEED therapy? Of course! 100% yes!
This voice note is not for those who do need therapy. Please, please seek the help you need from a professional. Ok?
This voice note is for the rest of us who think we need therapy.
Cool? Cool.
Also, by the way, if your primary care provider says you do need therapy but can't afford it yet, journaling can be a great first step.
Think you need therapy?
So, why do ‘the rest of us’ think we need therapy?
* We’re stressed out!!!
* Our mental health is lowkey falling apart…
* We’re spiralling
* We need to process our emotions or unpack stuff, because “what is all this?”
* We’re stuck and want to find clarity on our next steps
* We want a safe space to feel heard with zero judgment
If you’re nodding along to these points, this voice note is for you.
The power of journaling
The good news is that journaling can help you with all the points above. Here are 6 ways I use journaling to get similar results. Not the same, but similar.
* Journaling for Stress ReliefI recently learned that the stress we feel is not always due to the situation at hand. We usually feel stress because we don’t know how to cope. My husband for example is so chill when something happens because he believes most things have a solution, but my brain sees many situations as a threat to my entire existence. What journaling does is, it helps me break down my stressors and see them from a different perspective. Is my homeschool REALLY falling apart? Am I REALLY messing my kids up forever? Is the workload REALLY going to make me lose my mind? Journaling helps me talk back to the stressful situation and channel my inner chill.
* Journaling for Mental WellbeingWriting down my thoughts and feelings gives me a clearer picture of my mental state. It’s like having a conversation with myself, and sometimes, that’s all I need to feel a bit better. When I’m feeling stuck and my mental health feels kinda mental, the process of writing things out feels like someone is holding up a mirror to help me see a way out, to remind me to be grateful, to remind me to call on Allah.
* Journaling When I’m SpirallingSpiraling is “a cycle of negative thought patterns that can escalate and become overwhelming”. This is my internal state a lot of the time, especially around that time of the month. Before I know it, I’m imagining worst-case scenarios for everything! So when I feel like I’m spiraling, journaling acts as a grounding tool to remind me to be here now. I write and write and write down those overwhelming thoughts, and somehow, writing them down with pen and paper helps me slow down and think more rationally. I usually end the journaling session with “Here’s what I think the problem is, and here’s a solution I could try. Ya Allah, help me…”
* Journaling to Process EmotionsI’m usually quiet when I get offended, but my brain does not stop! I have used journaling to unpack some deep feelings of envy, anger, hurt, rejection… We all have those moments when we feel big emotions inside and don’t know what to do with them. Journaling gives me space (and time) to analyze, step-by-step, what’s under the big feelings. A few years ago, I felt envy which I knew had no place in my heart. I was so bothered by it and started journaling. Then I realized I felt envious because there were things I wanted for myself but in reality, I wasn’t working towards those things, so I put my big girl pants on and got to work! And alhamdulillah that’s history now.
* Journaling to Find ClarityWhenever I’m stuck or confused about my next steps, about a big
Listen to this Voice Note from Maryam onApple Podcasts || Spotify || YouTube
A lot of people today think that they NEED therapy. This is mainly due to the high-stress lives we’re living, but therapy isn’t a NEED for everyone. It’s a nice-to-have for everyone. In fact, it’s a strong nice-to-have. But is it a NEED? I doubt it is.
Now, are there cases where people do NEED therapy? Of course! 100% yes!
This voice note is not for those who do need therapy. Please, please seek the help you need from a professional. Ok?
This voice note is for the rest of us who think we need therapy.
Cool? Cool.
Also, by the way, if your primary care provider says you do need therapy but can't afford it yet, journaling can be a great first step.
Think you need therapy?
So, why do ‘the rest of us’ think we need therapy?
* We’re stressed out!!!
* Our mental health is lowkey falling apart…
* We’re spiralling
* We need to process our emotions or unpack stuff, because “what is all this?”
* We’re stuck and want to find clarity on our next steps
* We want a safe space to feel heard with zero judgment
If you’re nodding along to these points, this voice note is for you.
The power of journaling
The good news is that journaling can help you with all the points above. Here are 6 ways I use journaling to get similar results. Not the same, but similar.
* Journaling for Stress ReliefI recently learned that the stress we feel is not always due to the situation at hand. We usually feel stress because we don’t know how to cope. My husband for example is so chill when something happens because he believes most things have a solution, but my brain sees many situations as a threat to my entire existence. What journaling does is, it helps me break down my stressors and see them from a different perspective. Is my homeschool REALLY falling apart? Am I REALLY messing my kids up forever? Is the workload REALLY going to make me lose my mind? Journaling helps me talk back to the stressful situation and channel my inner chill.
* Journaling for Mental WellbeingWriting down my thoughts and feelings gives me a clearer picture of my mental state. It’s like having a conversation with myself, and sometimes, that’s all I need to feel a bit better. When I’m feeling stuck and my mental health feels kinda mental, the process of writing things out feels like someone is holding up a mirror to help me see a way out, to remind me to be grateful, to remind me to call on Allah.
* Journaling When I’m SpirallingSpiraling is “a cycle of negative thought patterns that can escalate and become overwhelming”. This is my internal state a lot of the time, especially around that time of the month. Before I know it, I’m imagining worst-case scenarios for everything! So when I feel like I’m spiraling, journaling acts as a grounding tool to remind me to be here now. I write and write and write down those overwhelming thoughts, and somehow, writing them down with pen and paper helps me slow down and think more rationally. I usually end the journaling session with “Here’s what I think the problem is, and here’s a solution I could try. Ya Allah, help me…”
* Journaling to Process EmotionsI’m usually quiet when I get offended, but my brain does not stop! I have used journaling to unpack some deep feelings of envy, anger, hurt, rejection… We all have those moments when we feel big emotions inside and don’t know what to do with them. Journaling gives me space (and time) to analyze, step-by-step, what’s under the big feelings. A few years ago, I felt envy which I knew had no place in my heart. I was so bothered by it and started journaling. Then I realized I felt envious because there were things I wanted for myself but in reality, I wasn’t working towards those things, so I put my big girl pants on and got to work! And alhamdulillah that’s history now.
* Journaling to Find ClarityWhenever I’m stuck or confused about my next steps, about a big
8 мин.