Journaling With Prostate Cancer

Journaling helped me understand my thoughts and feelings. It made me feel confident in caring for my mind, body, and soul. I was always far more comfortable with words than drawing or painting my thoughts each day.

Words helped me practice mindfulness, avoiding dwelling too much on the past or the future. Over the many months I journaled, I found increased well-being and fewer depressive symptoms.

Helping me remember things

As my mental well-being improved, it helped me organize my thoughts and made them more understandable. Further, it enhanced my ability to recall information and improved my working memory capacity.

This I believe reflected and ultimately improved my cognitive processing. Some people have asked me if journaling is healthy. My answer is yes, I believe in it. In retrospect, it was extremely valuable for me to keep a cancer journal while recording symptoms and side effects. Often when I was preparing for a speaking or patient involvement event, recorded information was there for me to rely on.

This was so I did not search my memory bank in vain. I recall a few occasions where I forgot minor details that were very important to me. Journals tell you exactly what you experience each day, so you will not have to depend solely on your memory. My cancer journal recorded all the major and minor events of my cancer treatment. It allowed me to express what had happened and how I felt about it at the time.

An effective form of self care

My cancer journal helped me heal and improve my overall health and mental well-being. This for me was the most effective form of self-care available to me at the time. I would recommend it to those affected by cancer, their loved ones, and those who support them.

In recording my information, I found mornings were the most beneficial, not late afternoons. You only have to ask my wife, who I used to share ideas with. There were many occasions when I asked her to review my recorded information at night. It was here that a stark difference in thought process, grammatical, and spelling content became apparent.

If you have had a long and stressful day, you do not necessarily record information accurately and meaningfully, unlike a rested soul. However, I prefer journaling in the morning based on my own experiences. Through journaling, I understood better how relationships are valuable. Having someone who encourages you to always be the happiest version of yourself is truly a blessing.

Keeping up with journaling

Your journal can serve as a visual reminder to write regularly. I think a good place to keep a journal is on a desk or nightstand, where you are likely to see it. You can ask a friend or family member for encouragement if you're having trouble keeping a journal every day. Someone you know who keeps a journal can serve as an accountability partner.

Achieving something is more important than anything else.

Alfred Samuels - Patient Advocate