Tackling the Pandemic Blues Through Journaling for Mental Health

I lost my dream job because of the pandemic — here’s how journaling every day helped me cope.

This pandemic has cost people their livelihoods, their mental health, and for some, tragically, their lives. We’re living through unprecedented times as an invisible enemy decimates our economy and takes away our loved ones before their time.

It is no wonder that October marked a steep rise in anxiety levels across the United Kingdom. The Office for National Statistics found adults who believed their well-being was affected by the pandemic were most likely to feel anxious. Around 6 in 10 (63%) said they felt stressed or anxious, and 64% said they felt worried about the future.

The figures were not much better among the general population in October. More than 3 in 10 of those surveyed reported high anxiety levels, rising to 4 in 10 for those who had an underlying health condition.

With harsher lockdown restrictions expected after a rise in cases, we will need to make time to practice self-care at home.

I lost my dream journalism job because of coronavirus. Like numerous other industries, newspapers and websites relying on ad-revenue to cover their costs suffered immensely as a result of the pandemic. As a result, my company announced mass redundancies back in July. By the end of August, I was informed my regional reporter role was being made redundant.

A frenzied job search followed, attempts at self-improvement through online courses, CV and cover letter drafts, and inevitable automated rejections. I was dejected. I was eating crap. My body ached from being locked indoors. My mind seemed to be in a constant state of overdrive.

Added to that was the fact that my partner and I were (and still are) in the middle of moving halfway across the country. Let’s just say I was definitely feeling anxious about the future. And pretty crappy overall.

I decided it was time to begin looking after my mental health and started looking into mindfulness, journaling, and meditation.

The Science Behind Journaling

A 2013 study found people diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder reported significantly lower depression scores after just three days of journaling for twenty minutes a day.

What’s more, their scores remained consistent four weeks after the initial experiment indicating that even a few days of consistent journaling can have a lasting impact on your mental health.

A 2007 study found journaling can be just as effective in reducing depressive symptoms as cognitive-behavioural therapy — at least in the short term. A further follow-up six months later showed CBT had more lasting impacts than journaling.

However, while therapy isn’t always seen as a lifelong commitment, journaling could easily become a daily habit that aids in managing depressive symptoms in the longer term.

Influencer Sophie Gray says journaling helped her rebuild her life after a panic attack. And the key was a consistent, daily journaling habit.

The Journaling “Experiment”

I have a journal. I write in it sporadically and like to look back on my entries. I’ve never had a daily writing habit, however. Usually, I might write in it once a month, if that.

I decided to see how journaling would affect my general well-being if I did it consistently for five days. I resolved to journal every evening, for at least 10 minutes.

I would reflect on my day, my feelings, my thoughts. I would also separately reflect on my mental health to see whether there is a change there.

After all, people with depression reported a decrease in symptoms after just three days. Could this be a way to manage my mental health during a difficult period in my life?

Here’s what I found.

Day 1

A lazy Sunday October evening seemed like the perfect day to start journaling. I’d just lost a game of chess against my boyfriend and we were about to start cooking dinner.

I felt pretty good that day. The start of a new week always comes with the hope that one of the job applications I submitted might get me somewhere.

I journaled for about 15 minutes. I thought 10 would be too long, but once I started going, I was in the zone. Almost in a sort of trance. I didn’t worry about making it look or sound pretty. I just put down my thoughts on the paper.

It was very similar to stream of consciousness journaling, where you just write whatever you want without overthinking it to help clear your head.

When I was done, I felt strangely mellow and relaxed. Less on edge. I would compare it to the feeling you get after taking a long, relaxing bath — maybe you put a bath bomb in, maybe you had some jazz on in the background. You come out feeling all warm and fuzzy and calm all over.

It’s worth noting when I journal every now and again, I worry about making it look and sound pretty. This time I didn’t and I ended up feeling much more positive about it.

I was looking forward to my next journaling session.

Day 3

I hadn’t noticed a change in my mood by Tuesday. I did start journaling during the day as well, however. It felt good to grab my journal and jot my thoughts down.

I don’t know whether it was because it felt like I was accomplishing something — however small it was. When you’re unemployed, you can feel a bit lost, a bit like there’s very little purpose to your day. There are no to-do lists, and emails, and Zoom meetings. Your day is your own, the only real objective is to find a job.

So journaling provided a little break from the craziness. And as I’ll explain later, that actually boosted my productivity over the week.

Day 5

Reflecting on the last few days, I realised I did feel good about journaling. It let me put into words what I was feeling. However, it was those spur-of-the-moment sessions I enjoyed the most. So moving forward, I won’t set myself any strict goals. I’ll try journal every day, but I won’t beat myself up if I miss a day or don’t feel like it.

And the most important change I experienced? I felt like my motivation went through the roof. I felt more hopeful about the job search prospect in general and accomplished more.

Day 5 was my most productive by far. I worked out in the morning, baked Keto muffins, and applied to three jobs. I also spoke to a recruiter on the phone.

Takeaways

Five days of consistent journaling were enough for me to reap some pretty tangible benefits. Whether that was because of the meditative power of putting pen to paper or because of the makings of a routine during an uncertain time, I cannot say. But during the last five days, I:

• Applied to twice as many jobs as I had the week before — and enjoyed doing it.
• Worked out on my stationary bike every day — after it had sat abandoned in the corner for months.
• Ticked off a few key items from the ‘move to Yorkshire’ list — we’re moving in just two weeks.
• Felt driven, motivated, and hopeful about the future. I felt like my head was clearer and I was building a routine again.

I’m not saying journaling is your magic solution during this time of uncertainty. But just having this goal I set myself motivated me to work on other things that needed doing. And journaling did clear my head and allow me to process the frustration I felt about my career situation. I felt happier overall.

If you want to try out journaling, make sure you:

• Have your journal and pen in a visible place during the day — you never know when inspiration will strike.
• Forget about being neat, forget about grammar and syntax — this is for your eyes only.
• Set yourself a daily journaling goal — but don’t turn it into a chore or beat yourself up about it if you don’t get around to it. Life happens.