As someone who has always been interested in self development and wellbeing, journaling has been a key tool that I've incorporated into my daily routine - it's had a massive impact on my anxiety levels and improved how I feel each day. Today, I'll be exploring the amazing benefits of journaling, as creating a daily habit of writing down your thoughts can work wonders for your wellbeing. Let's dive into some of the many benefits of journaling...
What is Journaling?
Journaling is like having a personal diary where you jot down your thoughts, feelings, and things that happen to you throughout the day. It's a way to express yourself, learn about yourself, and deal with your emotions. Whether you write in a fancy notebook or a simple journal, it can be super helpful to look back and reflect on progress you've made.
5 Benefits of Journaling:
1. Reduces anxiety
Journaling is literally like taking a weight off your shoulders - getting your thoughts down onto the page has therapeutic benefits. It can help you create space between you and your emotions, gain clarity on problems and act as an emotional outlet.
2. Be more grateful and appreciative of the good things!
Sometimes it's easy to forget those small things that happen throughout the day that you're thankful for - whether that's a sunny day or your morning cup of coffee. Simply writing down 3 things you're grateful for in the morning can shift your mindset from automatically looking at the negatives, to finding the good in each day.
3. Self discovery & awareness
Through journaling, you can learn a lot about yourself. You can reflect on your thoughts and patterns of behaviours that you might otherwise not notice. This self discovery journey can help you become a better version of yourself.
4. Be more mindful and present
Keeping a journal can help you become more aware of the small things that are happening throughout your day. You'll start to notice the nice things that you wouldn't before. This increased sense of awareness will help you drop into the moment more and become more present in whatever you're doing
5. Better sleep!
Writing in a journal before bed can help calm anxious thoughts and reduce overthinking once your head hits the pillow. Clearing your mind of all your thoughts before you sleep, or even make a to do list for the following day will reduce rumination and help you fall asleep faster.
Adding journaling into your daily routine can be life changing. Try it for a few days and see how it affects your mindset - happy journaling!