Journaling does more than just help you record your memories or find self-expression. It’s good for your health.
Why Should You Journal?
If you aren’t convinced that journaling could be a healthy habit for you, consider the not-so-comforting alternatives. You could keep all your thoughts and ideas jumbled up in your mind. That alone seems a bit overwhelming, but the reality is that it can leave you unfocused and distracted for most of the day.
Anxiety and depression may remain a constant in your life and can worsen, if that is something that you are struggling with. With no creative outlet, you may feel stifled or just like you are constantly in a funk. That’s exhausting!
Below are 8 reasons to journal every day for your well-being.
1. Reduce anxiety and depression
Journaling has been known to greatly help those that suffer from anxiety and/or depression. When your daily thoughts are out on paper, you can begin to notice triggers that cause you to feel a certain way. This way, you can keep progress in overcoming those anxieties and also avoid situations that give you unnecessary anxiety.
Leaving fears unexpressed can blossom into anxiety that feels crippling. Identifying what is causing your anxiety and how it makes you feel lets you come up with possible solutions. Journaling is a great way to work through your emotions before they become overwhelming.
2. Goal-setting
Write down all the short-term and long-term goals you hope you achieve in your journal. This keeps them in one place to refer back to as needed.
Journal a plan for each goal with specific steps and deadlines to meet. These details can be very enlightening to your mental health and keep you motivated to move forward in life. There’s no better feeling than looking back and seeing the progress physically, but also being able to cross out goals once you’ve achieved them!
3. Track progress and growth
No matter what the goals are that you are striving to accomplish, journaling can help you monitor your progress. Did you ask for that raise last month? Discuss how you did it in your journal. Feel less depressed over a bad situation? Do a brain dump of your feelings.
Seeing how far you have come overtime is uplifting and can snowball into more growth. You can go back and read over your progress and reflect on it in future journal entries.
4. Create a journal vision board
If your mind is full of things you want to do, you need to get them down on paper! Your journal can be a great resource for lists that you can later look back on. Make a list of places you’d like to travel to, create a 30 before 30 bucket list, or just jot down your favorite motivational quotes for future inspiration. Vision boards are all the rage, why not make a mini one you can refer to in your journal?
5. Evaluate day-to-day life
If you feel like you could be more productive with your days, journal your daily routine for an entire week. This allows you to see where your time is being spent. With this information, you can revamp your daily routines for a more productive lifestyle. Maybe you spend time on something that doesn’t have value to you the way it used to. Swap this for something you’re more passionate about. Do this regularly to continue working on being the best YOU you can be.
6. Improve communication skills
Sometimes it is difficult for us to verbally say how we are feeling. The words just don’t seem to come when we are talking with a trusted friend or family member, even if we do want to share.
Some people find it easier to communicate their thoughts by writing them out. Journaling regularly can help you improve upon your communication with others. The more you find the words to explain how you feel, the easier it gets to share.
Alongside this, it becomes a good and healthy outlet when you feel there is no one to turn to.
7. Manage problems and find solutions
When problems live only in our mind, they can be dangerous. They may feel bigger than they are and take away our mental focus we need for other areas of our lives.
By journaling, you can get the issues out of your head and onto paper. Then, you can brainstorm ways to solve the problems. Lightening the burden on your mind allows for clarity to easily find solutions to things that are bothering you.
8. A creative outlet for your mind
Sometimes journaling can just be a way to express yourself in a creative sense. Not everyone has the knack for drawing or creating visually artistic works. Getting creative through the written word may be more your speed.
Use your journal to share stories or create funny characters. If you’re struggling with what to write, or are experiencing writer’s block, one quick google search can give you hundreds of amazing prompts. Whatever strikes you to pick up your pen and write, use that!
Reap the rewards from journaling
As you can see, there are many great reasons you should start journaling. If nothing else, it gives you a place to put down your thoughts, feelings, ideas, and dreams. The more you do it, the more you still start to reap the benefits of your writing habit.
