5 Reasons to Journal

Journaling helps you rid the mind of chatter and get to the heart of the matter.

There's great power in the act of journaling. A regular journaling practice helps you maintain mental and emotional clarity. The act of putting pen to paper and privately expressing your thoughts and feelings helps you to release that which doesn't serve you. Journaling is very effective at helping you to connect with your deepest self. It’s your private, special place where you get to let it all out. The good, the bad and the ugly!

When you’re journaling, there are no judgments or critiquing from anyone, (including you BTW), for what comes through. You are simply writing whatever comes to you. It doesn’t have to make sense or be in any special order. You’re not writing a novel and nobody else is going to read it. Allow yourself the opportunity to just let the words come from you and onto the page.

There are 2 common things I hear from women when I talk about journaling:

1. I don’t journal because I don’t know what to write.

Guess what? You don’t have to know what to write when you sit down to write. Just begin writing. You can even start by writing the sentence, ‘I don’t know what to write.’ Then close your eyes, allow a breath and notice what comes. The same thing? Write it down. Do this a few times if necessary. The, ‘I don’t know what to write,’ will indeed turn into something else to write. Alternatively, write about what you feel grateful for. Then elaborate as to why you’re grateful for each thing listed. For more on why gratitude is so powerful, click here.

2. What if someone found my journal and read my innermost thoughts?

This is a fair question! I don’t want anyone reading my innermost thoughts either. So, do your writing and then dispose of it. The power of journaling is in the act of journaling, not in keeping the journal. Feel free to burn, tear up, or shred your passages, if it helps you feel more confident in keeping your innermost private thoughts, private.

Keep in mind that some days your writing may come easier than others. Some days you’ll find that you have pages upon pages, while other days you may only have a paragraph. This is all good. Remember, you don’t have to have an agenda for journaling. Just breathe, be, and allow the words to release onto the page. By allowing yourself time every day to journal, you allow yourself the opportunity to release thoughts and feelings that would normally remain stuck inside you. Consider this....You may cleanse or detox your body....You may declutter or clean out your physical space....Yet, how often do you clear the thoughts cluttering your mind? The act of journaling, of privately expressing your thoughts and feelings, helps you to release that which doesn't serve you. And that's not all! Here's more benefits of this age-old practice...

5 Benefits of Keeping a Journal:

1. Reduce Stress and Anxiety - Your journal offers a safe place to release all thoughts and feelings. It's a practice that helps to alleviate unnecessary stress and anxiety caused by consuming thoughts or worries.
2. Learn More About Yourself - Journaling gives you the opportunity to fully express yourself, making it an easy way to learn more about yourself and increase your self-awareness.
3. Valuable Problem-Solving Tool - Whenever you're struggling with something, journal it. Writing out your thoughts or concerns will help you become clear on whatever you're feeling unsure about it.
4. Strengthen Immune System - When you allow your thoughts and feelings to spill out onto the page before you, you release them. This release will help bring calm and clarity and in doing so, help to strengthen your immune system.
5. Promote Sleep - Journaling right before bed is an extremely beneficial way to release the thoughts and worries that would normally keep you up at night. This practice in the evening is a great way to promote healthy sleep.

Journaling also allows you the opportunity to celebrate if you choose to write about something you feel especially good about. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate yourself and your accomplishments.

So what you are waiting for? Invest in a journal that you love, this will make you much more likely to want to write in it, and begin your journaling practice today!

Love to journal? Let me know why in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!

If you love this blog, I'd greatly appreciate you sharing it so that others can benefit from reading it as well. Thank you.

Looking for more tips to help you live well? Check out Your Live Well Journey - The Podcast, every episode offers ways to help you improve your self-care.