3 Reasons Why Journaling Is Crucial For Self Care:
As a teen, you may have kept a diary hidden underneath your pillow. A place for all your deepest, darkest secrets, dreams, and desires, you’d spend time each day jotting down whatever was on your mind.
While many of us give up this practice as we grow older, the therapeutic benefits remain.
Journaling is one of the easiest, and still most effective practices when it comes to self-care and inner work.
But, why is journaling so soothing? How can simply using a pen and paper change your life?
I’m glad you asked.
Different Types of Journaling:
Like anything else that seems simple on the surface, there’s a little more than what meets the eye. Journaling can be effortless as you describe your day in detail. Or, you can practice more intricate, thought-provoking methods. No matter which technique you prefer, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to journal. Let’s look at a few:
Daily Journaling: The simplest and most basic form of journaling. Writing about what happened to you during the day, any challenging situations, surprising moments, or unexpected circumstances.
Gratitude Journaling: Take time to sit and journal about what you’re most thankful for. This can be a list or a detailed entry.
Reflective Journaling: Self-reflection is a difficult, but powerful skill to master. Reflective journaling prompts you to think of past situations, good or bad, and how you reacted to them. You can learn from your past experiences and refine the way you respond to situations.
Future Self Journaling: This type of journaling requires you to envision your future self. Jot down goals for your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and reflect on how you can make little decisions today that will get you closer to your goals.
There are many other forms of journaling such as manifestation journaling, art journaling, dream journaling, and more. Let’s talk about why this practice is so therapeutic.
Journaling Helps Control Anxiety and Stress:
Many of us walk around with our heads full of worries, fears, and triggers that press against the forefront of our minds all day long. It may feel like we’re going to burst until we’re able to vent to someone about them. When we sit down and journal, we’re able to get all of those concerns out and onto paper. Once we do so, we can figure out a plan to address them.
In addition, taking the time to write down anything causing us anxiety will help us identify which stressors are of the highest priority. You may even find once you write these down, your problems are smaller than you imagined!
Journaling Gives a Mood Boost:
Journaling can help you make sense of confusing emotions, providing relief and ultimately making you happier, and less stressed.
When we journal, we are free to express ourselves without the fear of anyone judging us. This can be incredibly therapeutic as this freedom gives us the chance to release any pent-up emotions we may be struggling with.
Once we get these emotions onto paper, we can actively work on positive, healthy resolutions to our problems. This gives us an overall sense of well-being and accomplishment, increasing endorphins.
Journaling Activates Our Conscious Mind:
Did you know? 95% of our waking day is spent operating in our subconscious. This means most of our daily actions, thoughts, and behaviors are automatic and require little effort.
While this is done by our brains for self-preservation, it can be incredibly troubling if our mindsets are negative. These negative thinking patterns can control us from the inside out, without us realizing it.
When we journal, we awaken our conscious mind. We intentionally sit and reflect on what we did, how we reacted, or what we said to other people. When this is done, we activate new neural pathways and retrain our subconscious to react in more healthy, positive ways.
Journaling Makes Us Well
Journaling has many other benefits such as giving us a clear mind, calming our nervous system, helping us practice healthy self-talk, tracking mental health symptoms, and more. The rewards of journaling are endless.
Journaling doesn't have to be a long, drawn-out ritual. Try even spending 10 minutes before bed and you’ll quickly discover the overall sense of wellbeing, happiness, and life satisfaction journaling can bring.
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