In a special episode of the Teenager Therapy podcast, Meghan Markle spoke about being the most trolled person of 2019 (when she was pregnant.)
“I don’t care if you’re 15 or 25,” she said, “if people are saying things about you that aren’t true what that does to your mental and emotional health is so damaging.”
Meghan has been criticised endlessly in the press since the beginning of her relationship with Prince Harry.
And she’s the first to admit it has affected her mental health.
Imagine being pregnant and millions of people you don’t know are essentially spreading vicious rumours about you!
How does she deal with this?
She keeps a journal.
Here’s what Meghan had to say on the podcast:
“It allows me to reflect on where I’ve come from, and with that comes a lot of perspective. I think most of us can all connect with the idea that sometimes when you’re going through something it feels like the biggest thing in the entire world.”
Meghan, of course, wasn’t the first to discover that keeping a journal soothes the mind.
Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Mark Twain, Charles Darwin, Leonardo Da Vinci all took time out of their day to write a journal. Even the Greek philosopher, Epictetus—born in AD 135—was thought to keep a journal.
One of its many benefits is that thinking on paper helps free your mind of thoughts and worries.
Plus, if you make a habit of it, you’ll have an amazing gift to pass on to your children.
How special that would be!
A record of your life for your children to examine and learn from.
That, in my opinion, is so much more valuable than any material inheritance.
Give it a go and see how it feels!
Take care.
Maria Birch.