When you think of journaling, what comes first to your mind? To me, I used to think of female teenagers journaling in their diary about their life. But now journaling has become popular amongst all ages and sexes, therefore, my perception has changed. Journaling is a powerful activity that impacts mental health in many positive ways.
What is Journaling?
Journaling is an active way of keeping track of your personal feelings, insights, thoughts, and much more of anything you feel you would like to get out in a safe and effective way. Journaling can be done through writing on paper or typing and through drawing.
The Beginning Stages of Journaling
When you first begin to write, it can feel either exciting or difficult or even both. You may not know what to journal about or where to start and may even feel some pressure to write when you begin. This can end up feeling like a burden.
To avoid this, it is imperative to remember that journaling is a tool as an activity to release what is in your mind onto a piece of paper or computer, so it is out of your mind.
Let go of the expectation
Having the expectation to write every day can be pressure on you, therefore, it is important to release this pressure and to write or draw when you feel the need to. Really though, you would want to form a habit of writing every day, therefore, I encourage to set a timer for at least 10-15 minutes a day to journal, so your body and mind becomes used to it.
Once you begin and enjoy the process, it will become easier to write every day without feeling like it is a burden and eventually without setting a timer. With that said, let’s go over the benefits of journaling.
Journaling Can Increase Your Awareness
As I mentioned above, journaling is a tool to help you extract what is on your mind onto something else and when you do this, you are increasing your awareness of what you are writing/drawing and are able to understand it more clearly. This allows you to reflect on what you wrote down and to decipher the meaning of it so you can develop a new perception and become aware of what may have caused your thought or feeling and what you can do to change it.
Reduce Your Stress
Journaling is an effective activity that helps reduce stress as it allows you to release the intensity of the feelings you are experiencing. Reducing the intensity of the emotions and feelings allows you to feel calmer and better able to handle the situation at hand.
Boost Your Memory
Journaling helps to keep your brain sharp by boosting memory and working the brain to recall memories therefore improving cognitive processing. Writing down memories, dreams or anything that you are extracting from your mind allows you to exercise your brain.
Reduce Your Anxiety
Writing or drawing in a journal can positively impact your anxiety by clearing your mind and releasing pent-up feelings and stress. Journaling can allow you to explore your anxiety while writing about the ups and downs in a safe manner.
Reflect via Journaling
Journaling is an effective way to learn from your experiences by reflecting on what has been learned. When journaling about your day, you are more likely to identify lessons from your experiences, learn from it and make changes.
There are many other benefits to journaling among these 5 that I have listed. Journaling is an effective and affordable tool that anyone of any age can use to their advantage to heal, explore and grow from in their lives. If you want to start journaling, here is a guide on how to start a mental health journal.
How To Start A Mental Health Journal (mental-health-destigmatized.com)
