"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart."- William Wordsworth, English poet
As a writer, you'd think I'd be jotting my thoughts down on the regular. But my experience with journaling had been pretty haphazard. I've had many journals throughout my life, but writing in them consistently had never been a strong point.
Sure, I would start on something and maybe go for a few weeks or months where I'd journaling every day. But it was more of an occasional thing for me. Now, that I'm writing every day, though, I'm finding that journaling about my day-to-day experiences has been very valuable. Journaling is an amazing outlet with a lot of benefits to many parts of our lives.
Journaling is pretty self-explanatory, e.g. writing your thoughts and feelings down on paper. But beyond the writing, which is definitely beneficial in and of itself, there's some richer outcomes when we take a little bit of time to go deeper.
There's a couple realizations I've had over the years in going back and re-reading past journal entries. First is, often an issue or challenge I was focused on in my writing wasn't that big a deal. The decisions I agonized over about relationships, friendships, career, etc. weren't as convoluted or hazy as I thought back then. In fact, the answer was often right in front of me in my words, I just couldn't or wouldn't see it.
Second, there's a lot of gratification in seeing how far I've come. Reading my thoughts and how I dealt with things then, versus how I think and deal with things now, shows me the growth and maturity I've undergone in life. I feel very grateful that the work I've done on myself has paid off.
Journaling has been shown to have positive effects on mental health. Writing and reflecting on our thoughts and feelings helps us understand them better. It also helps us feel more in control emotionally and mentally.
If you are writing every day, you can also track any symptoms that may be affecting your mental health, such as anxiety attacks or events that trigger you. It can also demonstrate when you are delving into negative self-talk, and illuminate stressors.
I know when I journal, I have a sense of relief after writing stuff down. I can put down the weight of whatever issue I may be overthinking about after I've gotten it all out on paper. I feel lighter, calmer and more clear-headed. I breathe easier.
An important aspect to journaling is non-judgement. There's no right or wrong way to do it. You don't need to think or plan out beforehand what you're writing about. Let your thoughts and feelings flow, and just write without judging yourself. Maybe you like to draw, too. Don't worry about spelling or grammar, or what someone might think about what you're saying. This is for you.
It's always nice to be able to have a little private time and space to journal, but that's not always possible. So whether you have two minutes or twenty, the act of writing down what you're thinking and feeling is beneficial.
When you're ready to journal but don't know where to start or what to write, you can always try journal writing prompts. A quick internet search for "journal prompts" will give you hundreds of prompts to kickstart your writing.
Finally, remember that journaling doesn't have to be anything fancy. Of course you can invest in a nice journal and writing instruments, and sit down with a hot cup of tea to write, but these aren't requirements. Some blank sheets of paper and a pencil are all you need. Don't get too caught up in the act of journaling before you actually journal. Just start writing.
For more on the myriad benefits of journaling, take a glance at these:
5 Benefits of Journaling for Mental Health - Positive Psychology
How to Keep a Mental Health Journal - Mental Health America
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