What is Journalling?

Journalling is the practice of writing down your thoughts and feelings for the purposes of self-analysis, self-discovery, and self-reflection. As one of the oldest forms of self-help in the world, journalling is about exploring one’s own thoughts, feelings, memories, goals, and desires through the written word. As such, journalling is often prescribed by therapists and counsellors as a powerful way of developing more self-understanding and compassion.

Are you interested in growing and learning more about yourself? Great! The desire to learn is the entire point of journalling. Therefore, as long as you’re sincere about discovering more about yourself, you’ve already succeeded!

Journalling is a powerful way to get to know yourself. If you take the time to journal every day, you will discover subconscious thoughts and beliefs that you didn’t know existed.

Most journal writers have thought about whether to use a pen and paper or a computer and which way is best. They would write (or word process) daily. In an effort to change your mind: A pen coupled with paper can serve as a powerful life tool.

Journalling is a more free form of writing — less about recording events, more about externalising feelings. It’s a chance to be reflective, go deeper with your own thoughts. Journalling takes a little of your time but there are definite benefits to journalling.

Here are some of the many benefits:

  • Strengthens your immune system and leads to better physical health
  • Improves emotional intelligence (the ability to perceive and understand emotions)
  • Soothes anxiety and increases feelings of calmness
  • Helps you to deal better with depression
  • Reduces symptoms related to anxiety, PTSD, and addiction
  • Increased self-awareness, self-understanding, and self-compassion

Strengthens your immune system and leads to better physical health

Improves Immune Function. Believe it or not, expressive writing can strengthen your immunity and decrease your risk of illness. Those who journal boast improved immune system functioning (it strengthens immune cells!) as well as lessened symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. Expressive writing has been shown to improve liver and lung function and combat certain diseases; it has even been reported to help the wounded heal faster.

Improves emotional intelligence (the ability to perceive and understand emotions)

Sharing feelings through a journal, a special place to unleash emotions, can help reduce stress and increase emotional intelligence.

Soothes anxiety and increases feelings of calmness

Reduces Stress. An overabundance of stress can be damaging to your physical, mental, and emotional health. It’s proven. Journaling is a incredible stress management tool, a good-for-you habit that lessens impact of physical stressors on your health. In fact, a study showed that expressive writing (like journaling) for only 15 to 20 minutes a day three to five times over the course of a four-month period was enough to lower blood pressure and improve liver functionality.

Helps you to deal better with depression

Reduces symptoms related to anxiety, PTSD, and addiction

Increased self-awareness, self-understanding, and self-compassion 

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