"Scribble" Journaling Is The Best Way To Release Stress

Journaling sounds so romantic in theory. You sit at a desk, grab a favorite pen, and fill a notebook with eloquent thoughts and ideas. (All in beautiful handwriting, of course.) Then, in 100 years, your ancestors read what you wrote and think about how cool you were. It’s a cute mental picture, but it’s also probably why you never do it.

The pressure to be perfect while journaling is real and it’s often what puts people off the practice. While it’s thrilling to buy notebooks and diaries, it’s tough to actually start writing in them. Add in hand cramps and the fact many people view journaling as a chore, and it explains why so many are getting into scribble journaling — a trend with millions of posts on TikTok.

With scribble journaling, the idea is to write as fast, sloppy, and illegible as you like. The goal isn’t to be able to read what you wrote but to allow your pen to keep up with your thoughts. “You don’t have to write [actual] words in your journal,” creator @general.malaise said in a video. “You can literally scribble and it is just as effective.”

In another video, creator @oakandbee said this style of writing has completely changed their approach to journaling. “I literally just string all the words together and scribble it down,” they said. “I’m not crossing any Ts or Xs. I’m not dotting any Is. And I’m not using any punctuation. The word are all connected.”

If you’re wondering “What’s the point?” then keep scrolling for all the benefits of scribble journaling, including how to try it yourself.

The Benefits Of Scribble Journaling

If you find that you never journal your thoughts — even though you really want to — it might be because you’re worried about “messing up” your notebook. If that’s the case, scribble journaling could be the perfect way to give up on being perfect.

The moment you dedicate a journal to scribbles, you should find yourself writing in it a lot more often, all without fear of being polished or structured. This type of journaling is literally faster, too. Not only does it take less time out of your day, but scribbling allows you to speed-write which in turn allows you to get all your thoughts out before your hand cramps.

As @general.malaise said in her TikTok, she thinks so much faster than she can write so it feels good to let it all out with scribbles instead of neat and perfect handwriting. It’s ideal if you’re venting or if you have ADHD and feel as if your mind is always running a mile a minute.

According to Dr. Caroline Fenkel, LCSW, a therapist and chief clinical officer at Charlie Health, scribble journaling prioritizes expression over coherence, similar to a stream of consciousness or mind dump. It still allows you to process your thoughts and work through issues, just without a final product to look back on.

“Scribble journaling removes the pressure of formality — there’s no right way to do it, no need for full sentences, and no expectation that it will be read later,” she tells Bustle. “It’s a great way to bypass overthinking and just get thoughts out.” The act of writing by hand also plays a role. “[It] hand engages the brain differently than typing, activating motor skills and emotional processing,” she says. “It can also provide a physical release, similar to movement-based grounding techniques.”

It’s also great if you hate the idea of a diary lying around that’s full of secrets. If it’s just scribbles, you can rest assured no one will ever read it, including yourself. With a scribble journal, you don’t run the risk of triggering bad memories or looking back and judging your past self. Since nothing is readable, it allows you to write freely without holding back. Your journal becomes a place where you can be completely honest with yourself.

This technique also releases pent-up stress from your nervous system and puts it all onto paper, and it also provides a quiet time for you to sit and process. “The act of writing without structure can help externalize emotions quickly and provide a sense of relief,” says Fenkel.

Starting A Scribble Journal

To start scribble journaling, simply grab a notebook and pen and start writing. Let all your words run together as you scrawl squiggly or jagged lines or make up your own form of cursive by blending all your words together. If you’re mad, press down hard. If you’re venting, scribble extra fast. Whatever feels right.

As you go, zero in on your thoughts and channel it all into the paper. “Some people focus more on the motion of writing while others let their thoughts dictate what comes out,” says Fenkel. Scribble at work, on the train, before bed, or whenever you need to release clutter or frustration from your brain.

If it helps, remind yourself that this isn’t a journal for storing memories. That can happen in another notebook or a junk journal. Allow this one to be purely about scribbles — a place where you can let it all out.

Source:

Dr. Caroline Fenkel, LCSW, therapist, chief clinical officer at Charlie Health