Have you ever had a book where you journal your painful experiences or even your beautiful memories growing up? You would pick it up now and then to pour out yourself expressing how you feel or even describing the moment or the impacts these moments had on you.
Journaling has been with us from way back as long as I can remember but for most people, it was just a momentary habit that we fall out of as we grow into adulthood thinking that there are more serious issues to be concerned about other than journaling.
I’m sorry to break it to you but journaling is more beneficial in our adult lives. But if you think about it, you might recall the relief you experience from journaling if you’ve done it sometimes in the past. Research has shown that journaling has helped them to be a better version of themselves. And also you might have heard about journaling, everybody now keeps a journal- from a gratitude journal, prayer journal, travel journal, dream journal, vision and goals journal, list journaling, etc.
Are you still considering if you should pick up from where you left off or do you want to begin this new journey of journaling but you don’t know or are not sure what it is all about?
In this article, I’ll share the benefits of journaling and how to get started as a beginner
What is Journaling?
Journaling is widely accepted as a good method of self-care and also the cheapest. Julia Cameron, an American Teacher, and author had an interesting way of describing Journaling where she said it will put you in contact with your very own spiritual guide. Certainly, you get to know the dusty corners of your brain better and when that happens your true desires become hard to ignore.
Journaling is moving your vague thoughts or ideas from your head to a paper or book to make them clear and solid so that you can almost touch them.
- It Relieves Stress and Anxiety
Anxiety and depression fill the mind with negative thoughts hitting against each other but when you put these thoughts down on paper, you’ll be able to process them in an organized manner, non-emotional and put things in the right perspective and you will realize that the situation is not that bad and you get to respond to the situation appropriately. Quite a good number of research has shown this to be true as well.
2. It Cultivates The Attitude of Gratitude
When you occasionally pen down events or experiences that make you feel blessed you tend to cultivate gratitude. Gratitude according to research increases the level of optimism which will have an enormous effect on your happiness and your health. Gratitude can be leaked to someone social or friendly. This means when you journal about the things that make you happy you’ll have a positive outlook on life in general. And in our fast-paced world, it is easy to miss these things unless we take out a little to put them in focus and write them down in a journal.
3. Journaling Helps You To Know More About Yourself
Journaling can help you to accept yourself more and be mindful of yourself because the more you write down about your feelings the more you get accustomed to them and as you process these emotions they lose their strength on you. You’ll no longer hide from them or live in denial. When you put a name to it or give it a face through journaling, you’ll be able to handle it.
4. It Helps In Achieving Your Goals
Journaling can move you closer to achieving your goals. A written goal is more likely to be achieved than the one you have in your head. Writing down your vision, aspirations, and goals will make the picture of what you want clearer. Writing will help you break them down into achievable sizes. You can identify the areas that you need to improve or even the areas that are no longer serving you. You can also write down your past failures and how to move forward. Your past accomplishments for times when you feel down or like a loser. This written journal will bring you back to your feet and boost your confidence to keep moving.
5. It Improves Your Writing and Communication skills
Keeping a journal or taking entries regularly will automatically improve your writing skills and help you to communicate better. This benefit will help you if you are working on your writing skills as you express your ideas and thoughts in a journal.
6. Journaling Can Heighten Your Immune Function
This may come as a surprise but it is not just said but also scientifically proven that the little habit of journaling can improve your overall well-being. This is because as you take down notes of events in your life. You form a balanced view of your life allowing you to think positively about life. And when this happens anxiety and depression are far away from you which are the common causes of physical health problems.
7. It Will Help You To Process Your Emotions
Sometimes you can have emotions all over the place or run wildly. These emotions most of the time don't go away immediately after experiencing them and they keep clocking in at every trigger. Another side to it is that you might not even be aware of such emotions or maybe you do but you’re bottling them up.
A good way to process your emotions and give them a name is through journaling. You can pen down your feelings and how you’re feeling in a safe space of journaling rather than bottling them up in your mind. This will help you manage the emotions and they become less overwhelming. Giving it a name and pointing them out reduces its strengths.
8. Journaling Enhances Your Memory
There are more chances you will remember something written down than what is not. Someone once said that the faintest pen is mightier than a sharper memory. There is wisdom in writing down events or ideas in a paper that can be more trusted than your memory. The physical act of writing brings details to the forefront telling your brain to pay attention to them. You can write about important phases or events in your life.
9. Journaling Increases Your Creativity
Writing takes you on a journey to personal insights and ideas. It helps you draw inspiration from your authentic self which comes to bear when you clear your mind- making room for ideas. Journaling keeps track of your ideas, inspirations, and dreams that can inspire you to do great work for yourself.
Writing can discover unknown ideas or thoughts that can help you in your life journey.
10. It Can Boost Your Mindfulness
Journaling can help you be in the moment. Writing about your surroundings and current moment can boost mindfulness. This can reduce the number of times you sulk or worry about what the future holds. And you’re presently taking these in with all your senses and just be even on days you’re not journaling.
Mindfulness can help you recognize and admire the smallest things in life that we overlook.
Use These Easy Great Tips To Start
Little steps
A seed does not become a mighty tree overnight. Don’t jump into it to jump out of it. Journaling gets better with each passing day. Starting small could mean writing for just 5 minutes for the next few weeks.
Brain Dump
As a beginner, you can start with a brain dump or free writing. Taking out thoughts in your head onto a paper. And this means writing as it comes. You can start with any object in focus or whatever comes to mind. You don’t need to check your grammar or spelling, just pour out your thoughts or express yourself in the way you want to. Remember it’s your journal, you’re not sharing it with anyone, so write away.
Use the Easy Tools.
- Write with a pen on paper
- Use a writing app on your phone
The idea is to make your journaling as easy and comfortable as possible. It will be easy to come back to it the next day.
Don’t overthink it
Just write and let it all out. There is no structure or method. It doesn’t have to sound smart, deep, or funny.
In case you need prompts, you can start with these:
- Things that you’re grateful for
- Your sweetest childhood memories
- Your first memorable experience in your Uni days
- Your experiences today and what you learned
- The things that make you happy, sad, fearful, or hopeful
- Your favorite person and why he/she is your favorite person
Journaling can help you improve your general well-being but it requires constant practice and patience. You might not notice the change immediately but the goodness and benefits of journaling comes to those who wait for it.
Tell me have you been journaling and what has been your experience so far?
Amazing read
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Thank you so much. I'm glad you like it
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