Living through a global pandemic, our mental and emotional health has been impacted in countless ways. If you’re looking for ways to cope, consider journaling.

Mental health professionals have long touted the benefits of journaling: It relieves stress and serves as a tool to help manage anxiety and depression. This is important now, given that the vast majority (90%) of U.S. adults are facing emotional distress related to COVID-19, according to a survey conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Harvard Medical School. Experts say people who suffered from mental health issues before the pandemic may have a harder time coping with the stress of the crisis.

Journaling is a great way to release stress and relieve anxiety by allowing you to get rid of the thoughts that are constantly circulating in your head by putting them down on paper. Many people find that after journaling, their minds are clearer, calmer, and better able to evaluate solutions to the problems at hand.

Many of us tend to ignore or suppress difficult emotions. Journaling can help us “familiarize” ourselves with these feelings so we can process them and find ways to move forward.

We learn that while it may still feel uncomfortable to tolerate and “accompany” our feelings, we are actually capable of dealing with them.

Plus, journaling is actually free, making it more accessible than other forms of self-care.

Another benefit of journaling regularly? It can help you identify patterns of thoughts or behaviors that are not serving you and connect your thoughts and behaviors to how you feel. Keeping a journal can also help you track progress towards your goals and observe your personal growth.

There may be benefits to documenting life during this significant moment in history, too

With COVID-19 drastically changing our daily lives, the death of George Floyd prompting reflections on race, and the upcoming presidential election, 2020 was, by all accounts, a A tumultuous year. While some memories from the past five months may still be fresh in your mind now, over time they will start to fade away – if they haven’t already. Keeping a journal can also serve as a time capsule that you can revisit later.

Recording what is happening around us every day during difficult times can be very useful for us both personally and on a historical level.

Facebook and Instagram are a conversation. They are for others. A diary is for you, you deserve to create a record. Write it down so you remember how you got used to it—and how you got through it.

As humans, we are wired to find meaning in our experiences. It gives our lives a sense of purpose and order. Journaling during the difficult times we are going through can help us find peace and accept and learn from challenging experiences.

We all want to know that our lives matter, that our lives and shared experiences have meaning. Documenting this moment in history can help us find and create meaning amidst the fear, sadness, and overwhelm we may be experiencing right now, and provide some comfort by situating this moment within the larger arc of our lives and history.

Here’s how to start journaling — and stick with it

Use a pen and paper instead of keeping a digital journal.

Compared to typing, writing helps us slow down so we can be more intentional and reflective, and it also activates more creative areas of the brain.

If you are a person who takes things too seriously, it is recommended that you keep an inexpensive diary.

Write stream of consciousness for 5 minutes. Then gradually add more time.

With this type of journaling, you try to write down your thoughts, even if it doesn’t make sense.

This article is not meant to be a “good” article. You don’t even have to re-read it if you don’t want to! The point is to get what’s in your head onto paper. I recommend starting with 5 to 10 minutes a day. If you like, just take 20 minutes.

Or use a prompt to get the juices flowing.

If the blank page intimidates you, there are many journals that offer insightful tips and exercises to help you get started.

You can also find many ideas online.

Write at the same time every day if you can.

It doesn’t matter whether you do it right when you wake up, during your lunch break, or before bed. Pick a time and stick to it.

Remember that your journal is just for you.

You don’t need to impress anyone with your writing—not even yourself.

It is recommended to keep your diary private and be as honest and truthful to yourself as possible.

If delving into certain topics is too painful for you, don’t force yourself to keep writing. If journaling isn’t working for you, it’s okay to take a break or stop journaling altogether.

Exhibiting symptoms of hyperarousal, stress, or distress are signals to stop journaling.

Don’t worry if you skip a day.

Don’t beat yourself up for missing a day or two – or 12 days – of journaling, it will only create more disappointment and resistance within you, just start over. Our brains need time to create new neural pathways, which means that the desire to journal often follows after you actively start journaling.