The Benefits of Journaling
When some people think of writing in a journal, they think of the old Dear Diary entries from back in the day or they think that it needs to be a bunch of really profound thoughts and ideas that make sense and are cohesive. But that’s not the case.
Writing in a journal, or journaling, can be whatever it needs to be for each individual. It can be structured and profound thoughts if that is what you want or it can be just a bunch of random thoughts, feelings or ideas that are running through your mind. Either way, the idea of journaling is to get the things out of your mind that might be bogging you down, whether you realize they are or not.
Sometimes you will find that once you start writing, things just start to come out and it’s important to just go with it. The feeling afterwards is what really matters. Because that is when you can see the difference in how you feel after you got all of those things out of your head and onto paper. Onto paper is key… Journaling is best practiced with good old fashioned pen and paper. Typing it out on your phone or computer doesn’t quite have the same impact, but if that works best for you, definitely do it that way. Some people use the notes feature on their phones as a way of journaling and it certainly is still helpful and impactful. There is just something about writing it down though.
Benefit of journaling typically include:
Reduced stress levels from the release of the thoughts/feelings
Improvement in your mood because of the reduced stress levels
Better sleep because of reduced stress and things weighing on your mind
That’s just a few of the positive impacts of journaling.
The biggest thing to remember with journaling is to do what works best for you. Don’t force yourself to journal everyday if it doesn’t feel right, some times that can add even more stress. Keep your journal in a quiet space for yourself so that when you are ready, you go there each time and get your thoughts and feelings expressed in a healthy way. If you haven’t tried journaling, give it a try some time and let us know how it works for you.
Deanna
