How Journaling Can Decrease Chronic Pain

Using a journal can decrease the perception of pain.

Because of the physical design of the brain, it is perfectly designed to handle pain. The brain adapts to pain over time. The brain learns to feel pain AND it also can unlearn pain. 

Studies show the perception of pain intensity decreases when we divert our attention. Journaling is a place to express emotions and shift our attention away from our physical body and this shift can result in the improvement of pain symptoms. 

Journaling can help improve pain symptoms by helping you not react, strengthening your ability to shift focus and redirecting negative reactions and beliefs. 

Mindfulness and Chronic Pain

Using mindfulness oriented interventions such as journaling can help foster awareness and acceptance of our body’s challenges.

Chronic pain can be frustrating. Just as life is frustrating. Journaling is like talking to yourself. By practicing gratitude journaling, the wired circuits in the brain can be trained to find positives in the negative and to reduce or suppress future emotional reactions and triggers.

The physical act of writing with a pen and paper slows our mind and slows our breathing which in turn can calm anxiety linked to painful symptoms.

Download your FREE January Self-Reflection Prompts here.

Gratitude Journaling for Healing

There are many therapeutic effects of gratitude. By affirming the goodness or “good things” in life you can bring value and meaning to your life. Writing in a journal may increase your mindfulness, gratitude and even communication with your doctor.

Gratitude is a general state of thankfulness in which you regularly focus on what is positive and less on what is negative. Gratitude is a mindset which focuses on what you can do rather than what you can not do. 

The gratitude mindset focuses on what you have rather than what you do not have. 

The power of a positive mindset is remarkable. One exercise is to write three positive things in response to something negative. 

For example: 

“My back hurt so bad I could barely get out of bed. But I made a cup of Chai tea, relaxed with the dogs, and read a chapter of a new book. So life is good.”

Download your FREE fSelf-Reflection Prompts here.

Research has shown journaling works

Journaling can be a “sounding board” which listens and accepts your pain as you express it without argument, contradiction, interruption, minimizing, or rationalizing. 

It shifts the balance of control from your pain to your own personal power and strength.

A journal does not need to be a diary where you record your activities during the day. Although this can help. Keeping an activity diary can help uncover triggers for specific pain episodes.

It’s easy to forget events during the day and daily documentation can help detect patterns and triggers. 

Tracking patterns of physical activity, emotional status, spiritual path, and recording beliefs and habits can be valuable in giving you a sense of control over your pain management.

Identifying stress triggers and the physical act of writing down your struggles and emotions through writing, drawing, or even an unsent letter can be helpful and stress relieving.

Identifying patterns can give you an idea of what therapy may best alleviate and control your pain.

Keeping an activity diary or journal may give you more confidence to improve your communication with your doctor. It allows you to process your emotions about your pain before you are sitting face to face with your doctor. 

This brings awareness of the up and down cycle of chronic pain. This can give you confidence the pain has decreased in the past and will decrease again. This helps gives your the self-confidence to address the short periods of acute pain flare-ups. 

Writing about emotions and stress associated with chronic pain shifts perspectives and can help you see the experience differently. 

Different methods of journaling

Journaling does NOT need to be a physical paper and pen ith a “formal” or pretty journal. Although the benefit of the tactile action and feel of a pretty book and nice cover can be comforting. 

You can type in a blog, or even on social media by checking into our Journaling Through Chronic Pain Facebook page where we post journaling prompts every day.

It is the act writing that slows your thoughts and shifts your brain onto a different pathway that helps your mind “unlearn” the physical pain.

Do you HAVE to keep a pain journal?

Certainly not. Meditation can lead you to  the same gratitude thoughts and beliefs. For some it is just as helpful as reframing pain as active writing.

Some people enjoy writing or have a learning style that supports a tactile learning approach. 

Download your FREE January Self-Reflection Prompts here.

How long should I journal before I see an effect on my pain?

Everyone is different. Your pain journey is different from everyone else. A habit takes at least two months to become automatic. Sometimes longer. So to give it an honest shot try commiting to three months.

You may find out your really like it and continue. Or your pain an daily functioning may improve and you no longer find the need to decompress or express feelings, emotions, and thoughts so regularly.

But be warned journaling CAN be addictive.

During trying times of my life I journaled for a year and then tapered off and picked it back up years later. For me writing on this blog is a form of journaling. So thank you for reading. 

If you would like to journal but don’t know where to start you can download our FREE January Reflection prompts to get you started. 

References

Banks, Yvonne,  Journaling for Chronic Pain: How Does Journaling Help Pain Management?  January 20, 2015

Thompson Jr, Dennis, Keeping a Diary Can Help You Manage Pain 

Tatta, Joe, DPT, CNS, Integrative Pain Science Institute, Reverse Pain with Journaling 

Pain Pathways Magazine, The Surprising Benefits of Keeping a Pain Journal, December 28, 2015, 

Ruehlman, Linda S. Ph.D., Living with Chronic Pain: Discovering Gratitude, February 10, 2014

Hanscom, David, MD, Writing & Journaling to Help Manage Chronic Pain, 2019 Swedish Medical Center