5 Benefits of Journaling

Journaling is the act of writing down your thoughts and feelings on paper.  It is a tool you can use to explore your deepest emotions and values. There are many benefits to journaling.  Let us explore them together.

Journaling has been shown to help relieve stress.  The act of writing down how you feel allows you to process low energy feelings for release, versus repression.  Sigmund Freud said, “Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and they will come forth later in uglier ways.”

It is so important to express how you feel.  In regards to physical health, if emotions are not released, they will come forth in another way.  Most often we physically feel ‘ill’ when we are frustrated, anxious, angry or worried.  How about that stomach ache when you feel anxious?  Seeing ‘red’ when you are angry? That ‘sinking’ feeling when you are worried?  Help sort through your emotions and release them on paper.

When we journal our thoughts, we become more aware of how we feel, or what may be causing confusion.  This helps with clarity.  When you become more aware of what is going on around you and inside you, you gain clarity on the situation.  With clarity, you can then make different choices surrounding the situation or circumstance.

With greater clarity comes a sense of gratitude.  You can record what went well and what experiences you have been through. You can see on paper what you have learned and what you have to be thankful for.  Allow reflection on your life. 

As you reflect and are grateful, you begin to plan more.  Set goals on paper; notice where you want to go, and where you have been.  What do you want to do?  Journaling can help reinforce what you have been learning, what went well and what did not go so well.  You can re-experience different times in your life, whether good or bad. Journaling is a record of your life.

Finally, the act of writing down your deepest thoughts allows for better creativity.  As you release lower energy feelings and allow more room for reflection and gratitude, you become more open to ideas.  Act on those ideas and see how much more productive you can be.  Work towards your goals and dreams.

5 benefits of journaling:

1. Process low energy feelings for release
2. Helps clarity
3. Gratitude
4. Planning and goal-setting
5. Creativity

If you have not written in a diary or journal, try it!  Try it for at least a month.  See how it works for you.  How has it changed your life? What have you become more aware of? What creativity was unleashed within you? 

I leave you with a few words by Mahatma Gandhi. 

 “The only devils in the world are those running in our own hearts.  This is where the battle should be fought.” 

Try that battle with a pen and paper!