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Show Page 10 The Ogden Valley news Volume XXIII Issue IX June 1, 2016 The Benefits of Journaling In a situation at work, or a disagreement with a laundry list family member or friend—or something that is of things to very personal and important to you. And trust do to stay where your writing takes you. healthy—eat more vegetables, exercise, medi“As you write, explore your emotions and tate, manage your stress—adding yet one more thoughts about the experience. You might tie can seem daunting. Yet, an ancient practice the subject to current relationships, or relate it dating back to the 10th century that presidents, to who you may have been, who you are now authors, intellectual luminaries and, quite pos- and who you would like to be,” she explains. sibly, your pre-teen self all have done may hold You may find yourself writing about the significant benefits for your mental and physi- same event on all four days, or different events cal well-being—journaling. on each day. Mirgain cautions if you decide to Unlike traditional diary writing—which is approach a deeply emotional subject—such as recording the events of the day—therapeutic a past trauma—it is best not to write about it for journaling involves writing down our thoughts several weeks afterwards as it may be too diffiand feelings about our percult to deal with some of the sonal experiences. UW emotions that arise around “our feelings are our most Health psychologist Shilagh genuine path for knowledge.” what happened. Mirgain, PhD, explains that Length and Frequency the kind of private reflection - Limit your writing to 15 to - audre lorde that takes place while writing 20 minutes a day for the four can help us work through issues and concerns days and try to keep writing each day. It’s more we may have to allow us to come to a deeper effective if you do write consecutively than just understanding. once in a while. “Through therapeutic journaling we use As you’re writing, remember to keep writthe written word to express the full range of ing until your time is up. You can try setting an emotions we may have related to difficult or alarm so you’re not distracted by watching the traumatic life events. In doing so, we can help clock. And if you run out of things to say before create a greater sense of well-being,” com- your time is up, you can repeat what you’ve ments Mirgain. already written. While therapeutic journaling has proven That said, writing about the same topic day effective in the treatment of those experienc- after day for too many days isn’t helpful. If ing posttraumatic stress and trauma survivors, you feel like you’re not making any progress the benefits also extend to those living with or able to move past a topic after a few writing chronic health conditions such as asthma, rheu- sessions, you should contact your health care matoid arthritis, cancer, chronic pain, and even provider. those who are chronically poor sleepers. Write Only for Yourself - Remember that “There is a growing body of evidence that you are only writing for yourself. You may demonstrates the beneficial effects of writing. want to hide or destroy what you wrote so Just twenty minutes at a time over four con- that you don’t hold back from sharing certain secutive days was associated with a decrease thoughts. This writing is for your eyes only, so in health problems, such as enhancing the be open and honest with yourself. And don’t immune system functioning,” Mirgain notes. worry about grammar or punctuation. Dr. Mirgain also cites additional research What to Expect and What to Avoid - If that found students who wrote about meaning- you think you want to write about a particuful personal experiences for 15 minutes a day lar topic, but find that you cannot because it over the course of several days in a row felt would be too upsetting, then don’t. It may be better and got higher grades in school. Even as a sign that you’re not quite ready to explore little as four minutes a day can make a measur- that subject. Instead as you get started focus able difference in a person’s mood and sense of on situations or events that you feel like you well-being. can handle. “When upsetting, challenging, or traumatic You may feel a little bit sad or depressed events occur, we often are not able to fully after writing, especially after the first day or process what happened and the event—and two. It is completely normal and lasts only a the emotions around what occurred—become short time. It can be helpful to plan some time stuck in our memory, often with a lot of dis- to yourself after your writing sessions to reflect tressing emotions and intrusive thoughts,” she on any issues and support yourself. explains. When to Discontinue the Exercise The simple act of expressing thoughts on Mirgain cautions that writing exercises aren’t paper can allow us to let go of the feelings for everyone. If the practice evokes strong involved and in Mirgain’s words, “allow us to feelings that you cannot cope with, you should fully metabolize our experience.” In doing so, stop. we can construct a meaningful personal narra“Experiencing symptoms of hypervigilance, tive about what happened and make sense of stress or distress are signals to discontinue your the experience. journaling exercise,” she says. How to Journal - In order to get the most If you experience stress she recommends from the experience, it’s important to move practicing diaphragmatic breathing, reaching beyond recounting the events of the day. Dr. out to a friend or loved one, or going for a walk. Mirgain recommends starting with a four-day And if you continue to experience lingering writing exercise—writing consecutively for feelings, you may benefit from the support of a four days, but keeping each session brief. She psychologist, counselor or physician. offers the following guidelines based on the “You can write your way to a new chapter, work of Dr. James Pennebaker to help: reminding yourself that you and you alone are Location - Find a location where you will the author of your own life story. Through jourbe undisturbed and not distracted by phones or naling you realize that you have the power to other devices. say this is not how my story is going to end and Topic - Mirgain suggests writing about that my journey has just begun,” she concludes. something that is bothering you—perhaps a PINEVIEW cont. from page 1 window had been broken out with a large, softball-sized rock. There was also an empty pill bottle lying on the driver’s seat, along with an empty brown bag that appeared to be from a liquor store. There were other reported vehicle burglaries in the area over that weekend with the same smash and grab MO. It is believed the damage to Joseph’s car was a coincidence related to the other crimes and not to his disappearance. Shown above is Joe Shultz’s wife tanya, who, along with his sister and other family members, were at the reservoir when his body was found. His wife related that they were grateful for everyone who had helped push the search forward, and stated that “Joe was an amazing, loving, supportive, hands-on father who loved and protected his children; and that there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to help others.” His sister Dawn added, “He was the best brother i could have hoped for; he was very service minded. He was and amazing person…. Please pray for his family—his wife, mom, and his children.” target to dive for, and the conditions presented several risks and dangers. Also, it was unknown if Joseph was even in the water. However, Search & Rescue teams returned to the reservoir Thursday, May 26 to continue the search with SONAR equipment. A state helicopter was also to be deployed to help search the water and surrounding area; however, the Search & Rescue boat crew located the body at 12:45 p.m. The Sheriff’s Office treated Shultz’s disappearance as a missing person case with suspicious circumstances. Evidence seemed to indicate that Joseph may have committed suicide but nothing is being ruled out at this time. Detectives are looking at all possibilities such as it being accidental or from other causes. Lt. Lane Findlay with the Weber County Sheriff’s Office stated, “There is a chance we may never know exactly what happened to him. The investigation remains active and on-going.” Speaking to reporters, he also stated, “We don’t know all of the circumstances. The terrain above where the body was found is steep and treacherous—it could have been accidental.” According to Lt. Findlay, after the body was recovered, Search & Rescue were transporting it by boat to the ramp near Cemetery Point where it was then being transported by vehicle to the medical examiner’s office. An autopsy would then be conducted. Deputies searched the surrounding area but could not locate Shultz. Weber County Search & Rescue teams were later called in to assist. Cadaver dogs were deployed along the shoreline. One dog gave a possible indication on the water but nothing was found. Deputies then deployed a boat and SONAR equipment. Three separate searches were conducted after May 16, but no traces of a body were found. The area being searched is in the narrow part of the reservoir on the south side near the spillway. The terrain is rocky and steep along the shoreline. The depth of the water is between 70 and 80 feet. At this high elevation and time of year, the water is cold with very limited visibility. The Sheriff’s Office had held off sending divers into the water because they didn’t have a Join us June 11 forShoppeRS! our 12th Annual RemembeR Guest Appreciation Breakfast 8-10 a.m. Mention Valley eleMentary at Admission-Any canned food item to donate to the Food Bank 801-745-4000 2555 WOLF CREEK DR. EDEN From the Service Deli www.valleymarketeden.com STORE HOURS: MON. - SAT. 7 AM - 10 PM SUNDAY 7 AM - 9 PM California Sweet Corn $3.99 per dozen with coupon Expires 6/15/16 16-piece Fried Chicken $2.00 OFF with coupon Expires 6/15/16 From the Deli 4 Pk Store-Made Turnovers 50c OFF with coupon Expires 6/15/16 25# Western Family Sugar $8.99 with coupon Expires 6/15/16 Boneless Skinless Breast $1.79 per lb. with coupon Expires 6/15/16 rainbow bridge in ogden Canyon. Photo by Sharon Beckert. |
