Pages of Isolation

Louder Than Words

Old journals have told the stories of our past and have now returned as a cathartic release during times of uncertainty.

Images of what it means to write in a diary or keeping a journal can vary. Some may think of a young child writing their daily thoughts, feelings and impressions of the day and interactions with friends and family starting each entry with “Dear Diary.” Others may think of historical accounts that have given us perspectives or views of a particular era through the eyes of the writer. In March of 1944, the Dutch Minister of Education spoke over the radio from London. “Preserve your diaries and letters,” he said—a young girl named Anne Frank listened from her attic, where she hid for two years writing what it was like to hide in a home in Amsterdam during the Holocaust.

“The most valuable [historical] diaries are the ones where they wrote down their own feelings, or conversations they had on the street or with family, or how they felt about the persecution of the Jews,” Rene Kok, a researcher at the Dutch Archive, said.

According to Chris Farina, an AP Psychology teacher at Paly, journals found from their past have been a good way to better understand what a person during that time was going through. Their words are filled with uncertainty, concern and pain that gives us a perspective of a much deeper story that we would have never been able to understand without their preserved experiences.

For those that have kept diaries, reflecting on one’s own writings can be a powerful force in remembering specific or significant events in our own lives. A diary can help organize thoughts and unload frustrations, anger or disappointments. Does it ever feel

good just to get things out on paper? Did you ever wonder why that might be the case? Well, as it turns out, journaling has many ancillary health benefits, particularly with regard to your mood and mindset. “When [people journal] they are letting their guard down; they are speaking authentically, they are not trying to say something for a specific public audience … so they are not selfcentering in any way,” Farina said.

Withholding your thoughts and emotions can impact your mental health, so taking the time to write what you are feeling is a great way to understand and reflect on them. Farina states how important it is to notice what has been affecting you by creating a routine like expressive writing, which can be beneficial to help clear your mind from recent experiences. According to Positive Psychology, letting your

Text by CALLUM OLSEN, RAJ SODHI and RACHAEL VONDERHAAR • Art and design by KIMI LILLIOS

thoughts out on paper can help change been associated with a decrease in her head through bullet journaling. a negative mindset to a more positive long-term health problems. “School can be stressful… [emotions] one, and may even change the way we Journaling also strengthens your can make you feel like you’re stuck feel about ourselves. emotional functions by developing a in a tight box and you can’t move, so

Stress can damage both your habit of routine writing. Journaling bullet journaling helps you get out of physical and mental health. According assists the brain to improve emotional that box,” Hu said. Bullet journaling to Healthline, control while is simply making bullet points that negative effects such as headaches, depression, high blood pressure, “Expressing your thoughts on paper evokes happiness, and helps you develop also helping you to understand your own sense of identity and help get out the thought of stressful emotions and help clear your mind. According to Hu, there’s so much more to journaling than just writing a a weakened immune system and insomnia a clear mindset about uncertain situations.” boosting your c o n f i d e n c e . It creates full story of your day. It can also be told through mediums like drawings and calligraphy. “If I am feeling creative, I can all be caused Chris Farina, AP Psychology teacher mindfulness and will just put my pen to the paper and by stress. Many helps writers stay let myself draw something … it really students experience heavy amounts focused and more in tune with the helps clear my mind,” Hu said. For Hu, of stress every day trying to balance health needs of their body. Research journaling has helped her look back on extracurricular activities, work and also shows that keeping a journal old memories—whether it’s something school. improves your right-brain function— as unexpected as an old receipt to a

Because of COVID-19, our “new which controls your creative and artistic name tag from camp, her journal has normal” of schooling from home, abilities—and in general sets a writer been able to tell her story. being unable to see friends or extended up for progression. “Expressing your Journals contain so many memories family in person and being restricted thoughts on paper evokes happiness, from a person’s life. So, when you need as to where we can go outside of our and helps you develop a clear mindset to unload the events of the day, if you homes are factors that can increase about uncertain situations,” Farina are feeling stressed, frustrated or if you stress. Taking the time to unwind after said. “[Journaling] helps make your want to get clarity on a matter you are your day and reflect is a good tool to thoughts really struggling with, clear your mind. In fact, according to Intermountain Healthcare, taking 15 to 20 minutes a day a couple of concrete.” Paly freshman Kylie Hu takes a “School can be stressful and [emotions] can make you feel write it down! As Brand Blanshard states times during a four-month time span journaling class like you’re stuck in a tight box in the Stoic to journal, is enough to improve liver functionality and lower your blood pressure. outside of school that allows her to explore different and you can’t move so bullet journaling helps you get out P h i l o s o p h y journal, “What the centuries

While this may sound surprising, techniques of of that box.” have clung to expressive writing can also improve journaling. Hu Kylie Hu, Paly freshman is a notebook your immune system. According to has thought more of thoughts James Pennebaker, a researcher at the fully about the health benefits she has by a man whose real life was largely University of Texas at Austin, taking experienced through journaling and unknown who put down in the the time to journal regularly can has identified a litany of direct benefits midnight dimness, not the events of improve and strengthen certain white as a result. Hu journals through doodles, the day, or the plans of tomorrow, but blood cells, called T-lymphocytes. taping souvenirs such as movie tickets something of far more permanent Expressive writing, even about into her notebook and writing daily interest, the ideals and aspirations that traumatic or stressful times in life, has checklists. Hu found an outlet to clear a rare spirit lived by.”