Finding Solace in Words: How Journaling Helped Me Heal Through Cancer Recovery
Discovering the therapeutic power of expressive writing during my cancer journey.
💗 Breast Cancer Awareness Month - Week Three
This week I will expand on how important journaling was for me during the cancer journey, sharing the transformative power of therapeutic writing for emotional healing and recovery.
The Therapeutic Power of Journaling During Cancer
Journaling may not be for everyone, and I didn’t know it was for me until I tried it. I want to share how putting pen to paper become an emotional lifeline.
Seven months into my cancer treatment, after four 4 surgeries, radiation therapy and numerous complications, I found myself drowning in anxiety and sleepless nights. It was then that journaling transformed not just my nights, but my entire approach to healing and recovery.
It felt like there was no light at the end of the tunnel. I was on a lot of medication. Some of that medication had a side effect of increasing anxiety and causing insomnia. Throw in continued pain, and it was a recipe for a brain that could not switch off. The combination of physical discomfort, medication side effects, and emotional overwhelm created the perfect storm for sleepless, anxious nights.
The Darkest Hours: Midnight to 4am
In the hours between midnight and 4am sitting in the dark, I think I planned my funeral a hundred times and checked my life insurance to make sure my death wouldn’t be a burden to my family. I had not been given a death sentence, but my mind was a whirling dervish all the time and I wasn’t doing ok. Cortisol levels were sky high; I wasn’t sleeping well, and I found it very hard to concentrate on some very basic tasks some days. The psychologist I had been seeing suggested I try putting pen to paper to calm the storm.
The Simple Yet Profound Discovery
I was doubtful that something that simple would help me. However, I started slowly and my only goal each day or night when I couldn’t sleep was to get the thoughts out of my head onto paper without caring about spelling and grammar or even if my handwriting was neat (which it isn’t and that has nothing to do with cancer…. sorry Nanna Chris).
I started to discover writing slowed down my brain. It’s not possible to write nearly as fast as our minds can think. In those moments, I found a pace that allowed reflection and processing. I could re-read what I had written during the witching hour and then try to put it all into perspective in the harsh light of day.
Even though I was still on all the same medication, it was making a difference. I even started to find one thing I could be grateful for each day.
Evidence based Benefits of Journaling for Cancer Patients
Current research supports the therapeutic benefits of journaling, especially for those enduring significant health challenges. The research has shown that expressive writing/journaling can lead to better psychological and physical outcomes. The journaling helps reduce stress, improve mood, and even enhance immune function.
It’s not just unloading our fears or anxieties onto the page; it’s about making sense of them, seeing patterns, and eventually catching glimpses of hope and recovery. Research published in health psychology journals demonstrates that expressive writing can significantly reduce cancer related anxiety and depression while improving overall quality of life.
🧠 Psychological Benefits
Reduced anxiety and depression symptoms
Improved emotional regulation and processing
Enhanced sense of control and autonomy
Better stress management and coping strategies
💪 Physical Health Benefits
Enhanced immune system function
Improved sleep quality and duration
Reduced cortisol levels and stress hormones
Better pain management and tolerance
🌱 Emotional Healing Benefits
Processing trauma and difficult emotions
Developing resilience and hope
Finding meaning in the cancer experience
Building gratitude and positive perspective
Creating a Safe Space for Emotional Processing: when words become your life line.
In a world where cancer treatments and preventative surgeries seemed to be taking over my identity, my journal remained a space of autonomy. I was in control of my journal. I documented small victories and setbacks, fleeting joys, and profound fears. Over time, I could track my progress, not just through the lens of treatment but also personally, emotionally, and spiritually.
On particularly challenging days, journaling became a lifeline. It offered a non-judgmental space where I could pour out whatever I felt — anger, sadness, gratefulness, fear etc. Through writing, I learned to be kind to myself, gradually understanding that it was okay not to be okay sometimes.
Beginning your own Therapeutic Writing Practice
For anyone walking a similar path, I highly recommend giving journaling a try. Begin with a few minutes each day; focus on the moment, your feelings, or pen a letter to your future self. You might find, as I did, that each entry is a small step towards healing and that with time, the pages start reflecting resilience.
📝 Getting Started Tips
Start with just 5-10 minutes daily
Don't worry about spelling or grammar
Write about whatever comes to mind
Use any notebook or paper you have
Write during sleepless hours if needed
💭 Writing Prompts for Cancer Patients
How am I feeling right now?
What am I grateful for today?
Letter to my future self
My fears and how to address them
Small victories I want to remember
🌟 Building Your Practice
Create a comfortable writing space
Write at the same time each day
Include both struggles and victories
Re-read entries to track progress
Share insights with your support team
Finding Hope and Healing Through Written Words
Journaling didn’t rid me of cancer and certainly didn’t change my hereditary cancer gene, but it became a vital part of my therapy and still is an important part of my continued recovery. A blank page can become a canvas to paint your journey — a tangible testament to your endurance and hope that even amid adversity, you will find strength in expression.
So, here’s to more pages, more stories, and the healing power of words. Your journey, like every mark on a page, is uniquely yours. Keep writing.
Build Resilience Through Reflective Writing
The beauty of therapeutic writing lies not just in the immediate emotional release, but in the long-term patterns and growth it reveals. When you look back through months of entries, you begin to se your own resilience emerging. You notice how challenges that once seemed insurmountable became manageable. You witness your own strength developing, one word at a time.
For cancer patients and survivors, this documentation can become particularly powerful. It services as evidence of your courage, your growth, and your capacity to heal. It reminds you that even in your darkest moments, you were still fighting, still hoping, still moving forward.
Love,
Chelle ❤️❤️
Special Education Complex Supports and Family Support Specialist AND cancer survivor
Supporting families through life's challenging moments; because healing happens in many forms, and sometimes it starts with a blank page and the courage to fill it with your truth.
