Journaling to Boost Your Self-Esteem
Neurodiverse people see the world differently. The way they approach problems, interpret meaning, and express themselves is what makes them amazing creators or valuable employees. At Cali & Caro, we strive to celebrate these differences, and empower all types of brains.
It’s no secret that neurodiversity comes with its challenges. Things like sensory issues, concentration, and communication can be difficult for a student with ASD, ADHD, or dyslexia, for example. As a result, confidence and self-esteem is often tested.
We believe that all students deserve to feel confident and good about themselves, and journaling can unlock this. Don’t just take our word for it – here’s how you can use journaling to boost your self-esteem!
What Is Journaling?
The concept of keeping a diary might already be familiar to you. Your diary is your safe space to write down all your thoughts and feelings about the world, without fear of judgment. These days, this is referred to as journaling.
Keeping a journal for mental health has become an increasingly popular and supported activity, within therapy treatments and in general life. If you suffer with certain mental health conditions, journaling can alleviate some of the symptoms. It can:
Help to curb anxiety
Reduce stress
Enable you to better understand and cope with depression
Journaling achieves this in a number of ways. Firstly, by you recognizing your fears and worries, and then prioritizing them. Secondly, it helps you keep track of your symptoms and how you’ve been feeling, identifying patterns and triggers. And, thirdly, it enables you to identify negative thoughts and patterns, and rectify them with positive self-talk.
Neurodiversity & Self-Esteem Issues
Whilst all neurodiverse students can benefit from having some brilliant gifts, the world constantly paints them as deficient or lacking. Many schools aren’t properly equipped to support neurodiversity to the fullest. This leads to students feeling frustrated and misunderstood. Unsurprisingly, this alone has a negative impact on self-esteem.
Along with this, it’s a sad truth that a lot of neurodivergent kids face bullying and teasing at school. Often, they are picked out simply for being different. Additionally, struggling to fit it can cause students to struggle to accept themselves. This, too, effects confidence and self-esteem.
In a world where conformity seems to be the dish of the day, it’s crucial to champion those who think differently. Promoting activities that reinforce this idea is vital for boosting the self-esteem of all students.
How Does Journaling Boost Your Self-Esteem?
We’ve talked about some of the ways journaling can help someone’s mental health, but let’s get specific. There are a number of reasons why writing in a journal can improve your self-esteem. Plus, there are a bunch of simple activities you can do whilst journaling to aid this.
Journaling Helps Communication
Usually, we write in journals privately. The idea isn’t to show it to someone later on. You may be encouraged to share parts of it, if it was part of a therapy exercise, for example. But, even with a journal being kept private, it can still help with communication.
By thinking about your feelings and writing them in a journal, you’ll have a better idea of how to vocalize them to someone later on. Organizing your thoughts in this way makes for clearer communication and better understanding.
Better Problem-Solving
When faced with problems, it can be difficult to make sense of things. By writing issues down in journals, different ideas around solving them can be recorded. Listing potential solutions can be helpful, as well as simply venting frustrations surrounding the problem.
Regulating Emotions
With no outlet, emotions can bubble over and create outbursts of anger or upset. This is an unpleasant experience for anyone, so taking steps to prevent this happening will always be preferable. Noting down your feelings in a journal can alleviate the weight of certain emotions, providing relief and a sense of control.
Effective Journaling Activities
Now you know how journaling can boost self-esteem by helping to regulate emotions, promote communication, and aid with understanding oneself, here are some activities and prompts you can practice!
What makes you unique? - This prompt is great for listing all the things which make you different, and framing them positively.
What are you really good at? - An activity which makes you consider all the things you’re good at can help you unearth some cool facts about yourself, and give you enjoyable things to focus on in the future.
How would your friends describe you? - We often speak to ourselves in a way which we never would to our friends. This activity is perfect for taking away that negative self-talk, and viewing yourself through the eyes of those who love and appreciate you.
Journaling with Cali & Caro
Now you’ve learned about journaling to boost your self-esteem, it’s time to get some tools to help you practice it! Cali & Caro offer a specially designed range of writing materials and stationery for all types of brains.
Get yourself an eye-catching journal or beautiful notebook, and write your way to stronger self-esteem. Check out our online shop today!