Journaling may seem silly, pointless, and trite, reserved for teenage girls with a pink journal under lock and key, however, there’s a reason people like Richard Branson, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffet, and Lady Gaga spend their precious time on this highly personal craft…
What Are The Health Benefits of Journaling?
The intention of everything I create: on my blog, my newsletter, my Youtube channel, and other social accounts is to help you become the optimal version of yourself.
I mention this because it is my personal mission to help others improve their health and lives, as I spent so many years trying to manage living with two autoimmune diseases (Lupus and Hashimoto’s) and had no idea what each day would bring me. I felt I had no control over the trajectory of my life. That said, one of the activities that moved the needle the most in my life (in a positive direction) is having a journaling practice.
Journaling is pivotal at reducing stress. Stress is linked to many physical and mental health conditions in modern society.
Studies show writing about your deepest thoughts and feelings may lower your blood pressure, improve your mood, increase a sense of well-being, and reduce distress. In a study of 70 adults with medical conditions, after a month of journaling, they had fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Journaling allows you to create space from negative thoughts and feelings.
When journaling, one is in an act of observing and reflecting on thoughts and feelings. Negative thoughts and feelings are released “onto the page”, creating distance. In other words you are not your thoughts, ideas, or perceptions. It is simply identifying that these ideas are a creation of your mind.
Self-awareness is the key to unlocking any change you want to create.
Journaling is a channel that allows you to release negativity.
When you have a bad day; a terrible circumstance, a person at work that angered you, or some undesirable outcome… give yourself space to write about your feelings; allow your experiences to be released from your mind and “onto the page”.
Pen-to-paper is a physical act of removing negative thoughts from your mind and placing unpleasant ideations onto something physical, like paper.
Chances are after writing about your negative experiences you have “dumped them”; given them a place to physically go.
Have you ever ruminated, obsessed over, or could feel the anger, disgust, and tension after something or someone has upset you? Journaling is a safe place to move the energy to. Otherwise, those negative feelings can stay stuck inside; unprocessed, stagnant, and unresolved.
Emotional stress and blocked emotions are not just linked to mental illness, but to headaches, intestinal problems, heart disease, insomnia, and autoimmune disorders.
Journaling gives you a private, safe place to be completely honest with yourself.
Where else can you say how you really feel? What you really think? What you really want to say to someone?
The answer is no where. Only the journal or maybe in a session with a therapist you are radically honest with. Even in therapy, however, we can hold back or tip toe around the truth.
I believe it is unhealthy to suppress our authentic feelings. The medical community is starting to pay more attention to the connection between stress and health conditions, including autoimmune disorders. Journaling is a healthy solution to managing stress and validating your true feelings.
Give yourself an actual space (journaling) to go to where you can 100% be yourself.
Afraid someone may find your journal with those honest feelings? Hide it in your glovebox, in the back of your file cabinet, in a special drawer, or out and proud for everyone to see!
Journaling allows for self-discovery.
How else are you to discover what you really want if you haven’t even put it into words? If you are seeking to attain goals or transform in some way, it starts with what the ancient Greeks inscribed at the Oracle of Delphi many moons ago, “know thyself”.
Change will not be created without having an intimate relationship with self and journaling allows for that personal exploration.
Receive thoughts, ideas, and creative explorations.
When existing thoughts are “dumped” onto the page, it creates space for new thoughts to come in. Oftentimes when journaling, we expand ourselves beyond rumination and dig deeper; allowing for self-reflection, exploration, creativity, and flow. Do not be surprised if creative solutions and divine inspirations are gifted to you during journaling practice.
Journaling provides clarity.
If it is hard to formulate what you desire in life; how you really feel, what you really enjoy, or what you want to accomplish – journaling is the tool that will invite sought after clarity with a consistent practice.
How to Journal
First things first, there’s no “right way” to journal. There are many styles, but the beautiful thing about journaling is: it is whatever you want to make of it and whatever you want to get out of it.
Release judgement and perfectionism. The journal itself doesn’t have to be pretty, your handwriting doesn’t have to be perfect or fancy, you don’t even have to create fully formed sentences. There are no rules.
Just start. There is no perfect time, place, or circumstance to start writing. If there is resistance, chances are the resistance may be telling you something… time to journal about it.
I understand journaling can be intimidating or daunting to sit with your thoughts and then write about it. Here are some styles that may prompt ease instead of stress when your pen is in hand.
Here are some journaling styles to try on for size:
Consider starting three things you are grateful for. Notice where the pen takes you once you have written a few sentences of appreciation.
Or try writing three pages in the early morning upon rising of free-flowing thought, coined the “Morning Pages” by Julia Cameron from the book The Artist’s Way. This book made such an impact on me I wrote even more about it here.
With a morning journaling practice, it seems to tap into your subconscious mind upon waking. Consider writing about what you dreamt about the night before, extract meaning, or write about the first thoughts that come to mind after rising.
Conversely, writing in the evening is an entirely different experience. Dig up what happened during the day, release anything that transpired or that you need to let go of, write about what you are grateful for, or what needs to be accomplished the next day.
From a manifestation standpoint, you can write about what goals you want to accomplish; how you can get there, steps you need to take, or even letters of gratitude “acting as if” your manifestations have already come to fruition – often called “scripting”.
Notice when you journal at night if you happen to sleep more soundly. Processing feelings, writing down to-do’s, worries, concerns, and more can help your body (and mind) process thoughts and relax instead of keeping everything circulating in our head.
If you find it difficult to identify your feelings, check out the Feelings Wheel here. The Feelings Wheel is an amazing tool to help you dive even deeper into your subconscious mind, taking you from initial base emotions to reveal more specific, underlying layers of veiled thoughts and feelings.
Journaling can help you reduce stress, relieve anxiety, process emotions, gain clarity, or unravel your deepest desires and aspirations. There is no greater way to spend your time than to dive into your own mind to learn about the very essence of who you are. Spend time with yourself and unravel the greatness that lies within.
Here Are More Healthy & Creative Ideas
Artist’s Way to Your Inner Artist
