Dear Diary...

In yesterday's post, the World Health Organisation's advice included keeping a Depression Journal/Black Dog Diary. Call it what you will - I liked the sound of it and decided I'd look into the whys and wherefores.

Firstly, it doesn't have to be an actual, written diary. For those who would find the idea of writing down thoughts/feelings tantamount to torture, recording them as an audio file can work too. Don't dismiss the option just yet.

When I think about keeping a diary, I immediately see an 11-year old girl sitting in her PJs, drawing hearts around a boy's name or detailing how Boy A happened to glance at her today in the Humanities Corridor. Oh my! It doesn't have to be that way folks - and that isn't the aim.

One of the main reasons why it can be an effective method of coping with depression is that it gives a Sufferer the chance to see things in black and white - thoughts, feelings, fears - and that makes it far easier to accept them and devise a plan to begin addressing them. Just thinking things through enough to write them down helps to order your thoughts - that's why I am a listaholic! It also helps things 'stick' in your head. How many times have you written a shopping list and then left it at home but managed to get everything anyway because the writing it down had helped you to remember the details?

By helping to keep certain things in mind, it can help the Sufferer to identify real-life examples or instances during the day. That's half the battle because it turns the mind straight to finding ways to find solutions there and then when the feelings are current, not recalled.

The advice seems to be that the journal should be written entirely to yourself. However, a further step in utilising this method to manage depression is to eventually share the writings with someone else - a mental health professional or someone very close. It basically fits with the old adage of 'a problem shared is a problem halved'. It's practically impossible to overcome depression entirely alone.

According to Jessie Gruman, PhD, executive director of the Center for the Advancement of Health (www.cfah.org) in Washington:

Sit in a comfortable chair, take a deep breath, and start writing. Keep it up for 20 minutes without stopping. See what comes out. If you are having trouble putting your finger on what's bothering you this may help you narrow the field." See the article here

She goes on to suggest that, if you don't really know where to start, pick a problem that often crops up and write down what it is that bothers about said problem. Then, write down possible outcomes and consider which seems most appealing and why.

Finally, you should make sure there's no element of 'chore' to the whole thing. So pick a pretty journal or write in glittery pens. Scrap punctuation if you like. Sod the urge to spell-check. Relax - this is for you, not a teacher!

It's all about the process rather than any end result.

Give it a try - it just might help!

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