Journal writing is one of the oldest self-help practices in the world. It dates back centuries and has only grown in popularity. Millions of people of all ages use the practice to help improve their lives. We can all benefit from stepping back for a few moments and reflecting on things.
Those not familiar with journal writing may ask what is journal writing. It is not professional writing, but the daily recording of a person’s feelings and emotions into words. Journal writing is an act of personal reflection.
By journal writing, you can discover your hidden emotions and feelings. It is a sort of therapy that relieves a person and helps one in self-discovery. You may not journal daily, but biweekly, every few days or once a week. Whatever feels right for you.
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10 Benefits of Journal Writing
The history of journal writing has a long-established record. From Anne Frank to Di Vinci, journal writing has proven itself and can help to improve every aspect of your life. Listed below are some of the benefits.
1. Journaling Boosts Mental Health
Mental Health experts have scientifically proven that journaling benefits mental health. The health benefits include a reduction in stress and negativity. It might surprise you how much a positive outlook can improve your physical health.
The longer you journal, the more mental health benefits you’ll experience. It can relieve the symptoms of depression, reduce anxiety, and improve overall wellbeing. After just a month of journaling, you’ll notice a drastic improvement in your mood.
2. Journaling Relieves Stress
Did you know that journaling is a great tool for relieving stress? Getting your thoughts and emotions down onto paper can help to clear them from your mind. This automatically leaves you feeling calmer and more relaxed. Getting things off your chest helps relieve stress, one of the biggest killers in our modern society.
3. It Aids in Problem Analyzation
You can use journaling to analyze your problems. When you can clearly work out solutions to the issues you are facing, it can help you feel more in control. This will help to reduce stress, helping you to feel happier and more relaxed while calmly seeking solutions to your problems.
4. It Switches Off Your Inner Critic
It’s easy to get lost inside your own head. We all have an inner critic, but for some, it can prove overpowering. If you have trouble switching off your inner critic, journaling can help. You’ll be able to address negative thinking, helping to shift to a more positive mindset.
Related reading: 7 Easy Steps to Develop Positive Habits
5. It Improves Physical Health
Besides mental health, journaling provides surprising physical health benefits. There have been a lot of studies that have shown that journaling regularly can:
- Boost your immune system.
- Improve your memory.
- Help you recover from trauma.
- Improve cardiovascular health.
So, if you are looking to become healthier both mentally and physically, keeping a daily journal can help.
6. It Allows for Self-Discovery
Writing a journal can help you discover the real you within yourself. In a journal, there are both happy and sad moments. This is because when you write your feelings in a journal, you write all the feelings you had in a day. When you read the journal, later on, you will find out what exactly makes you happy and what makes you sad. Thus, you can discover yourself unknowingly by writing journals.
Studies show that if you release your feelings into words in the paper, then you can get much relief from the daily stresses of life, and in this way, you can discover a new individual within you.
7. Journal Writing Helps with Goal Achievement
You can use it to better yourself in every way. Want to lose weight? A journal can help you set goals and track your progress. It will also help you identify what is making you keep the weight on (such as poor eating habits or emotional eating).
You can use daily journaling to improve your relationships, get better sleep, become healthier, and reduce stress. There really is no limit to what journaling can help you achieve.
Related reading: Set and Achieve Your Goals with These 15 Easy Tricks
8. It is Cheaper than a Therapist
Journal writing provides you with an anchor in your daily life, whether or not you recognize it. In the journal, you are free to write what you want without restrictions, to address the issues in your life without fear of criticism. Put another way, journal writing acts as a self-help psychiatrist, but for MUCH cheaper!
9. Track Your Growth with Journaling
Your journal is a record of how every experience you go through in life. It becomes a mirror that reflects how you have grown through those experiences. As we travel through life, we inevitably have some great ideas. As we write these ideas down, we can return to them when we can either follow them up with action or to revisit them in the future. Without writing our ideas down, we often forget them and many of the gems that life offers us when we try to commit them to memory.
10. No Judgement
There are other benefits to journal writing, but all boil down to one simple fact. Writing in a journal allows you to express yourself without being judged or without fear of criticism. With the lack of privacy in our modern, digital world, that is hardly a small benefit.
Last Words on Journal Writing
These are some of the major benefits of journaling writing. These days, there are lots of different journal types and techniques you can practice. Research the different types before choosing which one is right for you. Do you keep a journal?
Take Care
Linda
Feature image by Pexels from Pixabay.
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