Journaling Improves Mental Health and Overall Wellness
One of the oldest forms of writing, personal journaling allows you to keep track of your days and process thoughts and emotions by writing them down. According to a report published by Stanford Health, there is a verifiable boost to mental health and general wellbeing that can be attributed to routine journaling.
As reported by Stanford Health, “research shows that regularly writing down what’s on your mind can help you release emotions and make sense of what’s going on in your life. Journaling also can help improve your relationships with others, lower your blood pressure and decrease symptoms of depression.”
Continuing, “Try to write every day. Set aside a few minutes every day to write. This will help you to write in your journal regularly. Make it easy. Keep a pen and paper handy at all times. Then when you want to write down your thoughts, you can. You can also keep a journal in a computer file. Write whatever feels right. Your journal doesn’t need to follow any certain structure. It’s your own private place to discuss whatever you want. Let the words flow freely. Don’t worry about spelling mistakes or what other people might think. Use your journal as you see fit. You don’t have to share your journal with anyone. If you do want to share some of your thoughts with trusted friends and loved ones, you could show them parts of your journal.”
You can explore your thoughts and feelings in a tangible way by writing them down, plan for the future or solve a problem that you’re currently facing. Thinking about and writing down things that you are grateful for helps you shift your focus from anxieties and focus on what relieves stress. You can incorporate journaling into something you already do, like setting aside five minutes before you go to bed every night, and it will become an automatic habit over time.
Journaling can also be something to look forward to, especially when combined with something else relaxing, like enjoying a cup of coffee while journaling. It becomes something soothing in the future to count on, and combined with the physiological benefit of the actual writing, you know it’s something good for both mind and body.
