Many people think of journaling as something reserved for creatives like writers, psychologist types and nerds. Not so, say a heap of people and research. It’s good for everyone, including you. Here is a short list of how that works.
1. Physical health - journaling can evoke emotional release which in turn lowers anxiety and stress and improves sleep. Those benefits in turn, among other things, reduce the effects of chronic inflammation which essentially we all have to some degree. Since chronic inflammation has been linked to almost every known illness, journaling indirectly will improve your health.
2. You have probably experienced going to sleep with a problem on your mind and awoke with an answer. We all use the phrase ‘I’ll sleep on it.’ Jounaling produces a similar effect and can enhance the effect of sleep/dream resolution because it helps clarify the situation. Therefore, journaling sparks creativity and helps us achieve goals.
3. Journaling can also strengthen self discipline if practiced regularly. Self discipline is a transferable skill. If you are zealously disciplined about writing in your journal, you will become more disciplined in everything you do. That is no little thing. Here is a video about discipline which I ran across recently. It is definitely worth a listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEVqbQHLykE
4. Keep a journal and it can increase your IQ and improve your communication skills. When you journal you will automatically/subconsciously seek to describe things, situations and emotions as accurately as possible. You will begin to use words that are uncommon in your daily speech and may even find yourself referring to a thesaurus to put a fine point on your thoughts.
5. Another benefit of a journal is it becomes a record. A writer may make notes of a story idea, an artist may jot down an idea for a painting, a person who eats :) may write down a neat recipe, anyone may record feelings about an important or unusual event, good or bad and on and on.
6. Jounaling about unpleasant things can be a great tool to help you feel better about it. It will give you more clarity which may help you decide, ‘heck with it; it’s not worth the worry’. If it is a situation you must face again, clarity from journaling can improve your emotional stability toward the problem and that can help you respond more productively (make better decisions).
I’m stopping there. If journaling did nothing more than this short list it would be worth the time and effort, but if you want more, here is a reference: http://appleseeds.org/100_journaling.htm
It is a list of 100 benefits of journaling. What it does is list a few benefits like those above and breaks each down into sub-categories. No deep, involved reading; it’s a list, but it may spark more ideas for your personal use.
What if you have never journaled? How do you start? Like most things, it is good to begin small. The most daunting part of your first journal entries will likely be - what do I write about. Different strokes for different folks but here are some ideas.
A. Describe the worst thing and best thing that happened today.
B. List - people you met, places you went, things you did.
C. Read something or try a new recipe/restaurant? Write about it.
D. Begin a bucket list. Just list 2-3 things per day and why they made the list.
E. Speaking of a thesaurus, look up some new words to add to your vocabulary Or, identify 3-4 words you use a lot and find synonyms you can begin to use in their place. Write about them.
F. Describe something you saw today, or even an object near you when you write. Make the description as detailed as possible.
G. Only follow one rule. Schedule a time to journal and stick to it as well as you can. When you can’t journal as scheduled, do it as soon as you are able. That is how it helps you develop self-discipline.
H. This is the nitty-gritty. What about what comes to mind or things that matter to you. These other exercises can be you primers to get you going. When something else rises to the surface, write it. That’s when you will really begin to enjoy journaling and begin to derive those benefits listed above.
I hope this info proves useful. If you decide to journal, consider using a Vic Challenger journal (pictured above). I speak from experience - if you get one and take it to public places like the library or on the bus, people will ask you where you got it. So if you are shy, don’t pull it out in public.
Unfortunately, they are only available on Amazon, here: https://amzn.to/2g6nn88
(BTW research shows that you remember more and achieve more emotional release via hand writing vs typing.)
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