Why Journaling is Effective for Eating Disorder

You may have heard by now that writing in a journal is a good healthy practice to start if 
you have an eating disorder, but why? The following sections are going to provide more 
in-depth information about how it can be advantageous to you.

It Helps You Become More Self Aware

Journaling on its own really helps you understand what is going on in your own mind. 
When your thoughts and feelings get jumbled, it is often hard to put them into 
perspective. With journaling about your eating disorder, you can start getting your 
thoughts on paper, which often leads to self-awareness. It is not uncommon to learn 
more about what triggers your eating disorder and find ways to cope better.

There are No Rules or Judgments

This is another really important benefit of journaling. When you have something like an 
eating disorder or mental illness, it can be embarrassing to talk about. If you find 
yourself not talking to a counselor or therapist about certain aspects of your eating 
disorder, talk to your journal about these things. Either keep the thoughts in your 
journal, or share it with your therapist without having to actually mention certain things 
out loud. 

You Can Try Stream of Consciousness Writing

Stream of consciousness writing is when you write whatever comes to mind, with no 
topics of prompts needed. This is another way to work on your self-development, 
bringing up things you might not even have thought of. Let your words and thoughts 
take you wherever they need to go naturally by writing down everything in the journal. It 
is yet another thing that is great to look back on later and see where your mind was 
during certain parts of your eating disorder recovery. It is also an easy way to journal 
without feeling like you should be talking about a certain thing. There are no rules or 
pressures with this form of journaling.

You Are Able to Find Your Triggers

Triggers might be something you are familiar with, whether you have a mental illness or 
something physical like allergies. A trigger is something, a situation, or a person that 
tends to trigger your response. In this case, it is related to your eating disorder cues, 
urges, and cravings. You need to find your triggers before you know what to avoid, 
which is what the journal can help you with.


