The Power of Journaling for Tinnitus
- Caris Lount
- Aug 17
- 9 min read
How many times this week have you actually sat down, without your phone, and asked yourself how you're really doing?
We're all guilty of avoiding checking in with ourselves.
Not because we don't want to, but because we don't know where to begin, or we simply don't feel like we have the time.
Before I started journaling, I knew I was stressed, and I knew that stress was impacting my tinnitus. But in the past, I often put off journaling because I didn't know where to start. I didn't want to do the whole "Today I..." thing. Boringgggg.
I also used to have a habit of writing as though someone was going to read it back. Anyone else?
And being the perfectionist I am, I'd often give up if it didn't look good or I didn't think I was doing it 'properly'.
Then, one day at university, I was having a tinnitus spike.
I tried to keep myself busy by tidying my room and, there it was... a notebook I'd never touched, just waiting to be written in.
I've always been one to love stationery shops. I'd buy random pens, rubbers and notebooks, absolutely convinced they were going to make me more productive, only to never actually get around to using them.
I knew journaling could be helpful for stress and wellbeing. The hurdle was actually sitting down and doing it.
At this point, I was struggling with tinnitus, socially withdrawing, but still determined to improve my life alongside it. I just about had the mental capacity to begin.
And as soon as I put pen to paper, I couldn't. stop. writing.
My tinnitus didn't disappear, but I had an hour of peace. My mind was elsewhere. I was transported back to some of my happiest memories, and some of the problems I had been carrying suddenly felt a little smaller now I could see them on paper.
I suddenly had things to look forward to. Things to be grateful for. Things that were happening right now, even with tinnitus.
At that point, I realised something that has stayed with me ever since:
Peace was possible with tinnitus.
What Is Journaling?
Journaling is the act of self reflecting and getting the thoughts in your mind down onto physical media.
We have so many thoughts and pieces of information running through our minds every day. Some estimates suggest we can have thousands of thoughts a day, with figures often cited anywhere from around 6,000 to 70,000.
Now, when tinnitus comes into play, many of these thoughts can become centred around the sound itself. We might worry about it, check whether it's louder, wonder if it's going to get worse, or become frustrated that we can hear it when we'd rather not.
When tinnitus is causing us distress, our brain can become increasingly focused on the sound because our stress and attention systems have been activated.
The more we monitor something, the more noticeable it can become, which can leave us caught in a cycle of tinnitus > thoughts > attention > stress.
This is where I think journaling can be such a powerful tool.
By taking those thoughts out of our heads and putting them onto paper, we can create some space between ourselves and what we're thinking.
It gives us somewhere to process what we're feeling, rather than allowing those thoughts to keep going round and round in our heads.
And there really is no wrong way to journal.
Over time, you'll find your own way of doing it and discover what works for you.
Why Can Journaling Help People with Tinnitus?
In my experience, one of the biggest things I've struggled with, and still struggle with at times, is anticipating the worst.
When my tinnitus started becoming a problem, it was very easy to fall into this thought process.
Looking back at my diary entries now, I can read logs from some of my tougher days where I was worried about how tinnitus would stop me from doing things, like giving a presentation or enjoying a social event.
But when I look back, so many of those things didn't turn out half as badly as I had anticipated.
That's one of the things I love about journaling. It gives you the opportunity to dissect your thoughts.
You can look at what you were worried about, what actually happened and how you felt afterwards. Sometimes, seeing something written down can make it feel a little lighter to carry.
Tinnitus can sometimes make us feel as though we've lost control. Writing about what we're experiencing can help us take a little of that control back.
It can reduce some of the mental clutter, help us process emotions and, at times, shift our attention away from tinnitus.
I sometimes think of journaling as a one to one therapy session with yourself.
You're getting to know yourself better, learning what you need and giving yourself the opportunity to step back and look at your thoughts from a different perspective.
It's very rare that we think about ourselves in the same way we think about a friend. How often do you genuinely ask yourself, "How are you doing?"
We wouldn't speak to our friends the way we sometimes speak to ourselves.
Journaling can give us a chance to notice those thoughts and practise responding to ourselves with a little more kindness.
The Science Behind Writing Things Down
When we have tinnitus, we'll try anything, right? So why haven't we all given journaling a go?
For some people, it can seem a little far fetched. For others, it's simply another thing on an already very long to-do list (that was definitely me).
But journaling doesn't have to mean sitting down for an hour every evening. Small, consistent sessions can still be worthwhile.
In a 2018 randomised controlled trial, 70 adults with elevated anxiety symptoms and various medical conditions were randomly assigned to either a positive affect journaling intervention or usual care. The journaling group completed 15-minute writing sessions three days a week for 12 weeks. The researchers found improvements in mental distress and wellbeing, alongside reductions in depressive symptoms and anxiety and improvements in resilience over the course of the study (Smyth et al., 2018).
Of course, this study wasn't specifically about tinnitus, and journaling isn't a treatment for tinnitus itself. But it does give us an interesting insight into how a simple writing practice may support some of the emotional and psychological difficulties that can accompany living with tinnitus.
And there is more research looking at expressive writing.
A 2023 meta-analysis looked at 31 experimental studies involving 4,012 participants and found that expressive writing had a small but statistically significant effect on reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Interestingly, the benefits appeared to become more noticeable at follow-up rather than immediately after writing (Guo, 2023).
For me, that's one of the most interesting things about journaling. You might not finish writing and suddenly feel completely different. Sometimes the benefit comes from continuing to give yourself that space over time.
Different Types of Journaling to Try
After journaling for many years, on and off, my biggest piece of advice would be: just start.
Don't overthink it.
Brain dump. Write about your day. Write about your quick wins, things you've done, people who have made you smile, things that have made you sad.
Just write.
Even a short entry can be enough to make you feel like you've done something for yourself.
Small, consistent efforts can snowball into something much more powerful over time.
There are so many different types of journaling you can try, and here are a few of my favourites....
Gratitude journaling
Gratitude journaling focuses your attention on the things that are going well, even when you're having a difficult day.
For example, perhaps your tinnitus impacted you at work and you came home feeling terrible about it. You could write about everything that went wrong and sometimes you absolutely need to do that.
But you could also look for the positives.
Perhaps your colleagues noticed you were struggling, gave you some support and now understand your tinnitus a little better. Maybe that experience actually strengthened your connection with them.
Over time, practising this kind of reflection can help you become more aware of the positives that exist alongside the difficult moments.
Brain dumps
Now, imagine you're commuting to work and your tinnitus is much louder because of the noise around you. You're stressed, overwhelmed and your mind is racing.
A brain dump gives you somewhere to put all of that.
You could write down everything you're thinking, everything you're worried about, or even something completely random.
You could write down things you can see that are a certain colour, objects around you, things you want to remember or little wins from the day.
Suddenly, tinnitus isn't centre stage.
Brain dumps can be great as a distraction technique, but they're also useful when you don't have the mental capacity for deep reflection.
And honestly, I think brain dumping is one of the most underrated forms of journaling.
Mood tracking
Mood tracking can be a really useful way of spotting patterns.
You could track how you're feeling each day or each week and look back over time to see whether anything seems to influence your mood.
For example, I've struggled with brain fog at different points, and through journaling I've noticed patterns around things like my sleep and where I am in my menstrual cycle.
It doesn't necessarily give you an immediate answer, but it can help you become more aware of your own patterns.
Reflective journaling
This is where you take a little more time to think about an experience.
What happened? How did it make you feel? What did you learn? Would you respond differently next time?
Nature journaling
Going for a walk can do wonders, and journaling alongside it can help you embrace those moments.
Maybe you write about what you can see, hear and feel around you. Or perhaps you sit somewhere quiet and write about how you're feeling.
It doesn't need to be complicated.
Creative journaling
This is one of my favourites.
Put on some music, grab your pens and let your mind switch off while you create.
You could doodle, paint, collage, sketch or simply play around with colour.
For me, it's another way of giving my brain something else to focus on, and the result is often something I can look back on afterwards.
It doesn't have to be with music, create what you feel, when you feel like it.
Prompt-based journaling
If you're anything like me, sometimes the hardest part is knowing what to write.
That's where prompts can help.
Instead of staring at a blank page, you have one simple question to answer and can let your thoughts take you wherever they need to go. (Need some prompts to begin? See the end of this blog!)
Goal journaling
Writing down your goals can help turn something that feels overwhelming into smaller, more manageable steps.
These goals don't have to be huge. They could be as simple as going out for a coffee, seeing a friend or doing something you've been avoiding because of your tinnitus.
Letter writing
You could write a letter to yourself, to your tinnitus, to your future self or even to someone who has supported you.
You don't have to send it.
Sometimes simply writing the words you've been holding onto can be incredibly freeing.
Try Some Journal Prompts
I've put together three simple prompts for you to try.
They're very low pressure, quick and calming, and could take as little as 15 minutes.
If you've never journalled before, this could be a really simple place to begin and see whether it works for you.
I'll send the journaling prompts straight to your inbox, you can sign up here:
Signing up will also give you notifications to new blogs and updates. I don't spam!
Final Thoughts
Journaling won't silence tinnitus overnight, and it isn't a cure for tinnitus.
But it might help you understand yourself a little better, process difficult emotions and make more room for the parts of life that matter most.
For me, journaling was never about getting rid of my tinnitus.
It was about slowly discovering that my tinnitus didn't have to take up all of the space.
And perhaps that's where the real power of journaling lies.
Written by Caris Lount
Caris Lount is the founder of The Tinnitus Journaling Club, a tinnitus advocate, Hearing Care Assistant, author and content creator. She shares evidence-informed education, practical guidance and personal experiences to help people navigate life with tinnitus.
You Don't Have to Do This Alone
If this story resonated with you, I want you to know that you don't have to navigate tinnitus on your own.
If you're looking for a supportive space to reflect, learn and connect with others, I'd love to welcome you to The Tinnitus Journaling Club.
I created the club because it's exactly the kind of positive, encouraging community I wish I'd had during my own most difficult days with tinnitus.
Together, we explore gentle journaling, share experiences, support one another and celebrate the small wins that help us move forward.
It's a place where you'll be reminded that life can still be full of hope, meaning and joy alongside tinnitus.
If that sounds like something you'd benefit from, I'd love to welcome you.
References
Smyth, J.M., Johnson, J.A., Auer, B.J., Lehman, E., Talamo, G. and Sciamanna, C.N. (2018) ‘Online positive affect journaling in the improvement of mental distress and well-being in general medical patients with elevated anxiety symptoms: A preliminary randomized controlled trial’, JMIR Mental Health, 5(4), e11290. doi: 10.2196/11290.
Guo, L. (2023) ‘The delayed, durable effect of expressive writing on depression, anxiety and stress: A meta-analytic review of studies with long-term follow-ups’, British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62(1), pp. 272–297. doi:10.1111/bjc.12408.
While these studies weren’t specifically conducted in people with tinnitus, they are interesting because anxiety, stress and emotional wellbeing can all play an important role in how we experience and respond to tinnitus.
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