Dear Diary… 7 Benefits of Journaling to Improve Your Health

You’ve had a really stressful day and thoughts about it won’t stop cycling in your head, and your body is feeling upset.  Or you had a difficult interaction with a partner, friend or coworker and your emotions are running wild and you’re struggling to calm down.  Or you can’t get your head to shut off when you’re trying to sleep.  Thoughts, feelings and emotions from the day keep you up.

Grab a notebook and start writing.  Just write what comes to mind or write what is specifically lingering in your thoughts or feelings.  It’s a kind of self therapy and an important part of self care.  No worries about grammar or spelling. Quiet any judge and let the pen flow on the paper. If you struggle with what to write, start where you are. Just write one sentence. Just write and don’t censor yourself. It’s just for you.

While some can write for hours at a time, researchers find that journaling for 15 minutes a day, three to five times a week, can significantly improve your physical and mental health. .

Should you write or type?

We live in a screen filled world, and typing is our typical go to.  If that’s the only way you’ll journal, then open your notes, and do it.  However, there are benefits to writing over typing.  Writing forces us to slow down which may feel challenging in our fast paced keyboard pounding lives.

According to Matthew Lieberman, a psychologist, brain scans show that putting your feelings down on paper reduces activity in the amygdala which is where the fight or flight response lives and controls the intensity of your emotions. So writing by hand can add increased calming to your body.

Writing by hand connects you with the words and allows your brain to focus on them, understand them and learn from them.  Writing by hand can be rhythmic, therapeutic, and calming. It can also jumpstart creativity.

7 Benefits of Journaling

1. Helps with emotional regulation

Writing down your thoughts and feelings in a journal can help you process and regulate your emotions. By putting your emotions on paper, you may gain a better understanding of your feelings and be able to manage them more effectively. This is particularly helpful for individuals who are experiencing difficult emotions such as anxiety, depression, or anger.

2. Reduces stress and anxiety

Journal writing can be an effective tool for reducing stress and anxiety. When you write down your worries and concerns, you may feel like you're getting them out of your head and onto paper, which can help you feel more relaxed and calm. In addition, journaling can help you identify triggers for your stress and anxiety, which can help you avoid or manage those triggers in the future.

3. Improves self-awareness

Journaling can help individuals become more self-aware. By reflecting on your thoughts and experiences, you may gain new insights into your personality, behavior, and patterns of thinking. This can help you identify areas where you want to make changes in your life, as well as strengths that you want to build upon.

4. Boosts creativity

Journaling can also be a great way to boost your creativity. Writing down your thoughts and ideas can help you generate new ideas and explore your creativity. This is particularly helpful for individuals who are in creative fields such as writing, art, or design.

5. Enhances problem-solving skills

By reflecting on your experiences and emotions, you may be able to identify patterns or recurring problems in your life. This can help you develop effective strategies for problem-solving and decision-making. In addition, journaling can help you brainstorm potential solutions to problems and evaluate the pros and cons of each solution.

6. Promotes mindfulness

Journal writing can also be a way to practice mindfulness. By focusing on the present moment and your thoughts and feelings, you can become more aware of your surroundings and your inner experiences. This can help you feel more grounded and centered, and can also help you develop a greater sense of gratitude and appreciation for your life.

7. Helps your body heal

Studies show that writing about your stress helps improve lung functioning as well as journaling can help lower your blood pressure and help improve your immune system.

I started writing in a “diary” when I was nine years old. I was struggling with feelings after my parent’s divorced, and it gave me a place to get out my feelings. I wrote pretty consistently for many, many years. When we started typing for life, my journaling slowed down. However, recently I have been reacquainted with the emotional benefits of journaling. It really is a relief and letting go. Journal writing is a powerful tool that can help improve your mental health and wellbeing in a variety of ways. By exploring your thoughts and emotions on paper, you can gain new insights, manage stress and anxiety, boost your creativity, and develop effective problem-solving skills.  Get yourself a notebook and pen and go for it.