Sunday, January 09, 2005

Blogging and mental health

On Saturday, the Evansville Courier & Press ran a religion column by Scripps-Howard's David Yount on its all-inclusive "Faith" section. I don't usually get into the Courier, but this column caught my eye.

Yount cites studies that found positive correlation between diary writing and psychological disorder. The more people record their secret thoughts for their own eyes only, the more likely they are to be mentally unstable. I found this tidbit interesting as I've always believed journaling to be therapeutic.

Yount goes on to discuss the Christian fad of journal keeping. He says if we follow the models of Jesus and Paul, we won't keep our thoughts to ourselves but will share the joy we've found in Christ with the world. What a concept!

So I started thinking... what does this mean for blogging? Blogs can be a type of journal, but since they're public, they can be a means by which we can glorify God by sharing ideas, thoughts and feelings.

I also felt challenged because I do keep a private journal, but I'm beginning to wonder why. If I don't want others to read my words, why record them? Instead of turning deeper into myself in the privacy and solitude of my journal, I'm going to hone my letter-writing skills and reach out in conversation. Human beings are made for relationships. It's one way we mirror the image of God.

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