How Journaling Benefits Your Health and How to Build a Journaling Habit (2022)
Hi, a few weeks ago I blogged about ‘free writing’ (check out that blog here: https://jackiemandeir.com/blog/the-benefits-of-free-writing-as-a-journaling-technique-2022 , which is a form of journaling and I wanted to spend a little time expanding on this practice today.
My Week
I’m back doing my day job today after a week off, it’s always great to have some time away from the workplace as I always find I can take time for myself and do the things that I know are good for my well-being, like eating well, exercising, relaxing, as well as taking time to have some fun.
Coming back into a busy job can mean it is so easy to get wrapped up in feeling pressured, stressed, overwhelmed, and completely depleted of energy to do all those things that you know are really good for you.
This is why I wanted to come back to the topic of journaling and its benefits to mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health.
Journaling is keeping a written record of your thoughts, feelings, and events in daily life. It is even described as a meditative exercise that can help you to make sense of emotions and thus lead to clarity of thought. These are some of the benefits you will notice if you start journaling on a regular basis:
1. Lower levels of stress – journaling that is focused on emotions is known to decrease stress and increase mental and physical well-being.
2. It calms anxiety levels – when we journal we can internally explore hidden fears that can lead us to feel anxious, meaning we can begin to unravel and make sense of them.
3. Lowers cortisol levels – as journaling is a relaxing pastime, it is known to reduce cortisol levels over time. Lowering cortisol levels mean we sleep better, eat better, and feel able to exercise more.
4. Relieve depression or low mood – if you use your journaling practice to express your sadness or angry thoughts, you can begin to notice patterns and over time take steps to express them rather than bottling those thoughts up.
5. Increases optimism – if we use journaling to express gratitude for the things we often take for granted in life, then our general levels of optimism increase, which means we are generally happier.
6. Strengthens sense of self – the more you write, the clearer your thought processes and over time you begin to understand what your core values and beliefs are, what motivates you, what makes you happy, and sad, and what is most important to your life.
If you want to become the person you want to be or design the life you want to live, then why not start a journaling practice?
The best way to start is to keep it simple and easy by:
Keeping the medium for journaling simple, if you prefer handwriting, keep your notebook and pen to hand. If you prefer electronics, organise a space on your device that is well-organised and easy to add to.
Finding a time of day that works for you, whether it is morning, afternoon, or evening – routine is essential. If you find yourself ruminating about events at work then perhaps straight after work is a good time for you. Whichever time you choose, building a habit is useful – see my book review of Atomic Habits by James Clear - https://jackiemandeir.com/book-reviews/atomichabitsbyjamesclear
Being kind to yourself, don’t feel the need to edit or rationalise what you are writing, or worry about spelling and grammar, just treat it as a free-flowing exercise.
If you struggle to get started or it feels a little awkward, I have a free template of prompts on my website, you can download it here: https://jackiemandeir.com/free
So on to sharing my favourite things this week:
Photo of the Week
Journaling
Quieten your mind to build resilience.
Quote of the Week
“You were born with potential. You were born with goodness and trust. You were born with ideals and dreams. You were born with greatness. You were born with wings. You are not meant for crawling, so don’t. You have wings. Learn to use them and fly.”
YouTube
I really like to do yoga alongside Travis Eliot and alongside his yoga videos, he also does meditation sessions. This video clip is Travis talking about human potential - POTENTIAL (MUST WATCH) w/ Travis Eliot l Daily Motivation & Wisdom - YouTube
Question of the Week
Thinking about potential, and imagining you had all the resources you needed, what untapped potential is within you that you would like to explore?
Thank you for reading, I look forward to hearing your answers. Bye for now.
Jackie