Benefits of Keeping a Journal

Journaling is an inexpensive, effective activity that can help you make sense of your thoughts, feelings and perspectives.  It gives you a chance to slow down and de-stress, release tensions and provide closure to your emotions.     People who practice mindful journaling have experienced lesser intrusive thoughts and better memory.  Furthermore, journaling can help your problem-solving ability, personal achievements, emotional health, and even your physical health.

If you think journaling is just about writing, think again!

“Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness.”
― Allen Ginsberg

Journaling is self-expression in whatever form that suits you best. You may sketch, doodle or use any other form of art.   It is one place where you do not bother to correct your spelling or grammar.  You don’t go counting your ‘likes’ or ‘comments’ as in social media.  Let your journal mirror the deepest areas of your heart.  Let it reveal the inner most secrets as never before. 

Journaling is something you do, to express yourself, for yourself. 

Don’t fear to bring out the madness, the unknown fear, the rising anger.  To express it is to give you the closure you need.

If you are still wondering if journaling is right for you, consider these benefits:

1. A journal serves as a record of your life.

“You must remember that your story matters. What you write has the power to save a life, sometimes that life is your own.”
— Stalin Goodwin

Have you ever thought back on your high school or college days and thought, “What was his name?” Or have you ever wondered if a particular event happened in 1996 or 1997? A journal can be useful to record the significant events in your life.  It is a reminder of your successes and failures, your achievements and mistakes.  It can come in handy later when you’re feeling down or lost. It will allow you to see a pattern of things you want to follow, those that have worked in the past or those that have caused you stress. 

• A journal can be cathartic.

“Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways.”
― Sigmund Freud

When you get the tough stuff out on paper, you feel better. Journaling gives your emotional health a quick boost. Releasing yourself in your journal after a challenging event can help you come to terms with emotions you don’t want to admit to yourself or others you trust. Unfiltered writing provides an outlet for your feelings to escape rather than be suppressed; while validating them as it allows you to experience them fully.

• You view your challenges in a new way.

 Looking back at earlier entries helps me reflect on challenges and celebrate progress and successes.”

-Rana El Kaliouby

Things look different in your head than they do on paper or on the computer screen. It’s a little less personal when you can see it. You might find that many of your challenges aren’t as challenging as you first thought.

“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.”

• Journaling and mental health

 Anne Frank

Journaling plays an important part in maintaining your emotional and mental health

• It helps regulate emotions
• Tracks your progress as you undergo treatment
• Identifies negative self-talk
• Helps process feelings of loss and grief
• Helps release pent up emotions and stress
• Helps positively channel your anger
• Improves self-awareness and esteem

• Journaling and physical health

“Writing is medicine. It is an appropriate antidote to injury. It is an appropriate companion for any difficult change.”

— Julia Cameron

Journaling can lead to improved health. One study at the University of Auckland showed that writing in a journal can lead to faster wound healing and minimize the symptoms of several ailments, including asthma and irritable bowel syndrome. Additionally, studies have also revealed that those who wrote for 20 minutes about their feelings on upsetting events healed faster after a biopsy.   

• Journaling improves cognitive processes.

“Writing is another powerful way to sharpen the mental saw. Keeping a journal of our thoughts, experiences, insights, and learnings promotes mental clarity, exactness, and context.” – Stephen Cove

 If you reflect on your life at the end of the day, and record it, you’ll be much more likely to remember it. It’s a great workout for your brain and an effective way to remember more of your life. Journaling organizes your thoughts and improves your problem-solving abilities. You can clear some of the clutter out of your head when you journal, and your subconscious can begin working on a solution to a challenge.

• Journaling and gratitude

“It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.”

— David Steindl-Rast

An attitude of gratitude goes a long way in making peace with your inner self. Set time aside each day to make a list of what you are thankful for.  Look around you.  Feel the sunshine on your face.  Smell the flowers. Look at kids smile. There is always plenty to be grateful for.  

In conclusion,

Journaling is an incredibly good-for-you habit that lessens impact of emotional and physical stressors on your health. So, what’s keeping you from adapting this habit?  Feeling stuck?

 Simply start where you are.   Grab a composition book or your computer.  Write, doodle or stick pictures.  Let your journal tell your story.  Remember; you don’t need to be a writer to start.