Keeping a journal is an easy way to express your feelings and document your journey, and research shows that people who write journals enjoy a range of health benefits.

Researchers study the effects of journaling

A number of scientific studies have found that people with cancer who express their emotions in writing receive physical and psychological benefits—though researchers are not entirely sure why picking up a pen is so effective. It may be that keeping a journal prompts people to think more about their feelings, which helps them cope with their illness.

In one study, women with breast cancer were asked to keep a diary. Some were instructed to write their deepest feelings about their experiences, some were told to write only positive thoughts, and others wrote just facts about their experience. The women who wrote about all of their feelings reported the fewest physical symptoms and had the fewest unscheduled visits to their doctors. The women who wrote only facts about their treatment had the most symptoms and spent the most time seeing their doctors. This suggests a link between physical symptoms manifesting when feelings are kept inside, while expressing feelings can help lessen some symptoms.

Benefits of journaling

Beyond what researchers have found, keeping a journal offers many other benefits. Among the reasons to keep a journal:

• Some people with cancer find that writing about their treatment helps them examine their thoughts and clarify their goals. In this way, the journal helps people prepare for conversations with their doctors. It can be a way to plan for scheduled appointments so the time with the doctor is as informative as possible.
  
  
• Keeping a diary during your treatment can give you a new perspective on your experience—a way to look back at a journey and understand how far you've come.
  
  
• Recording your thoughts and feelings starts a process of self-discovery and, for some, of spiritual development. Allowing yourself to think every day or every week about your feelings is a way to get to know yourself better and to understand what gives meaning to your life.
  
  
• Pen and paper are a safe way to express difficult feelings, such as anger and hurt. You may eventually express those feelings out loud, but starting with your journal lets you vent without hurting anyone, especially if you feel you don’t have someone to confide in.
  
  
• Putting feelings of stress or frustration in writing can have a calming, mind-clearing effect. It can help you move on to more productive or happier thoughts. And while writing every day won’t get rid of fatigue, it may provide an effective distraction.

Getting started

Your journal is yours, so you can create it any way you want. Here are some ideas for getting started.

• Writing with pen and paper is the preferred method for many journal-keepers, but some people find keeping a journal on a computer is also helpful.
  
  
• If you choose to write on paper, use permanent ink. Pick a notebook or diary that's convenient to carry around, or use a binder and carry loose paper with you.
  
  
• Date each entry and number each page.
  
  
• Find a quiet place to write, and do so without interruptions if possible.
  
  
• Write on a regular schedule, or write whenever the mood strikes—it's up to you.
  
  
• You don't have to limit your journal to words on paper. You can include cards and letters you receive, or e-mails that you exchange with friends. Don't worry about writing a certain number of words each day; your entries can be as long or as short as you'd like.
  
  
• Write what's on your mind, not just a list of the day's events. Thoughts about your diagnosis and treatment, your hopes and fears, your goals, an amusing story—it's all fair game. The only truly important thing is that you're writing what's important to you.
  
  
• Try to resist the urge to censor what you write or to be a perfectionist with grammar and spelling.
  
  
• Check your local library or bookstore for books about journaling for people with cancer that provide exercises to help you get your thoughts started.

Keeping a journal may feel odd at first, but expressing your feelings using a journal can be a powerful way to cope with your experiences with cancer.

More Information

Caring for the Whole Patient

Coping

Additional Resources

Journal of Clinical Oncology: Randomized, Controlled Trial of Written Emotional Expression and Benefit Finding in Breast Cancer Patients

Last Updated: August 10, 2009