WORDS
JAYMIE HOOPER
PHOTOGRAPHY
GETTY IMAGES
35NEW
CHAPTER
The next time you’re hit with an
emotional blow, grab your notepad.
While it’s old news that journaling can
help your grey matter, new research
from the University of Arizona has
shown that narrative journaling (the
act of writing down your experience
and feelings within the framework
of a story) can mend a broken heart.
Literally. During the study, researchers
found that when people spent 20
minutes a day writing a story about
a negative experience (basically
retelling what happened and including
their emotions), they had lower heart
rates than those who didn’t. On top
of that, their tickers were also better
at adapting to di erent environmental
stressors (a quality that’s generally
associated with good health). The pros
reckon expressing your thoughts in this
way allows you to better process your
feelings, which can help you gain an
understanding of your situation and
then move on. So, before you reach
for the ice-cream, maybe reach for
a pen and paper instead.Think
FIT