Health benefits of journaling
After the intensity of 2020 and facing the ongoing challenge of managing life in the centre of a pandemic, prioritising your wellbeing has never been more of a necessity. None of us have any control over what life throws at us, but we can learn to control how we react to what is happening.
The act of journaling - simply putting a pen to paper, offers many health benefits to help boost your wellbeing.
“Overall, journaling/expressive writing has been found to:
-Boost your mood/affect;
-Enhance your sense of wellbeing;
-Reduce symptoms of depression before an important event (like an exam);
-Reduce intrusion and avoidance symptoms post-trauma;
-Improve your working memory (Baikie & Wilhelm, 2005).”
Source: positivepsychology.com
Expressive writing in particular allows you to journal with the sole purpose of learning more about yourself. No one else needs to see what you have written down - this is your personal activity for you to engage in at your leisure and encourage your own development. The process of writing will help you to be more intentional about putting words to thoughts and feelings that you may not have otherwise considered in detail.
Before I chose to be more intentional about writing down my own thoughts, I found that I was more likely to feel anxious and overwhelmed by my thoughts.
I would often get in my own way and find myself in these cycles of thinking that I struggled to get out of because I wasn’t dealing with the root issue.
Journaling has helped me to discover a great amount of clarity, and approach my life with more confidence in who I know I am. The issue is that many of us are walking around hoping to find acceptance in the things around us when we still haven’t taken the time to accept ourselves. To celebrate who we are, including the parts of us that we are continuing to work on. But we can only get to this place when we take the time to understand who we are, how we feel and why we feel the way we feel.
With all of this in mind, you might be considering how you can get started - especially if you have never kept a journal before.
Don’t overcomplicate the process! You could just begin with a spare piece of paper if that’s all you have to hand. The most important thing is to have a place to get your thoughts down in writing.
You also need to recognise that as much as there are brilliant benefits, journaling is a piece of your wider picture of self-care. If you are not taking care of yourself holistically, then expecting to be able to show up for yourself in this way will be harder to achieve.
From your diet and exercise, to your social interactions and time spent doing the things that make you feel whole, these pieces of the puzzle come together with the act of journaling to create an experience that is strengthened by your lifestyle.
If you like the idea of journaling with a specific wellbeing focus, then our Pen Therapy online group sessions would be a great option for you! Find out more here, and choose a themed beginner-friendly session to get started on journaling with intention.
Find out what those who have already attended think of Pen Therapy journaling sessions, and try an upcoming session for yourself! Whether you use the sessions as a springboard to start journaling in your own time, or you attend on a regular basis for a guided top-up, this is an experience you need to try.
Book your place for an upcoming session here. Happy journaling!