Writing down your ideas allows you to spot trends. As I previously stated, while it is tempting to assume that a concept is immediately valid or essential just because we think it, our thoughts are frequently twisted. "A thought is similar to a pair of sunglasses." Dr. Regine Galantière notes that this analogy helps patients understand that their mind has the power to transform evidence that its eyes see into something else entirely. By writing down your ideas on paper, you can more easily identify any patterns they may be showing up in your thinking. Negative thoughts tend to have a disruptive effect on our mood and behavior. It is important to remember that these thoughts are not facts, merely assumptions that could be false. By writing down our negative thoughts, we get to study them to see if they hold true. If they don't, we can replace them with better thoughts. For example, let's say you believe that people will never like you. You then go around telling yourself that no one likes you. Over time, this becomes your default position - you assume that everyone dislikes you. Writing these thoughts down gives you an opportunity to examine them. Maybe people do like you, after all. Or maybe they don't. Either way, you've given yourself the chance to come up with a new thought process.