Keeping a journal is a great way to lower your stress levels and reflect on past problems. I learn a lot from glancing through old entries, seeing how irrational and how miserable I became, when a simple solution was right in front of me. I could have spared myself so many nights of misery. My journal is like my best friend now and I can track the positive changes in my life from when I was unhappy to now.

It’s so important to be able to express your feelings in a healthy way. The self destructive patterns of over eating can fill every void, that’s when food becomes the thing you turn too when you’re upset or angry. By keeping a journal and making a conscious effort to write in it every time I felt those negative feelings driving me towards the fridge, I gave myself a chance to begin the healing process.

Here is a short passage from when I was going through my depression:

“I hate it when Gary comes over and doesn’t tell me. He has no right to just barge in here. None! What am I supposed to tell the kids? That they missed him again? I sent him away and made myself a stack of toasted sandwiches. The kids came home, I made them lunch. All they do is complain and whine after everything I’ve done for them! I ate lunch with them, not a lot just some of the leftovers…”

Now here is an entry I wrote seven months later:

“Gary has been nice lately, he’s calling first before coming over, I think he can see the change in me! I felt very tired today and didn’t exercise much but I’m okay with that, I have stuck to my diet and yesterday I bought myself a new pair of shoes…”

You can see the difference in my attitude over those seven months, I had started to lose weight, had taken responsibility for my life and was a better person for it. I really want to urge you to try and keep a journal if you are going through a tough time in your life, it helped me so much and I know you can benefit from taking the time to listen to yourself. I still keep a journal, the first one has long since been filled and the second, but I use a new one now when ever I need to and will keep using it throughout my life. Please feel free to post entries from your own lives here, this site is for you.