I recently wrote about how keeping a journal formed my pathway to writing and how regular journaling helps me in so many ways (you can read that post here).  Below are ten health benefits of journaling that I have personally experienced.  If it inspires you to pick up a pen, look out for next week’s post ‘10 Ways to Start a Journal‘.

 

1. It provides a quiet, meditative space to reflect on your life.

I find taking time to write creates that much needed space, when we can so easily find reasons not to.   The benefits quickly ripple out into other areas of my life.

 

2.  It’s a safe place to verbalize difficult feelings, reducing their intensity as a result.

I don’t always want to share difficult feelings with other people, or sometimes I just can’t.  If I keep them to myself and internalize them, they become stronger.  If I write them down, I’m sharing them albeit in a very private way, and they become less troublesome.

 

3.  It increases creativity, allowing ideas to flow as words fill the page.

I jot down ideas so I don’t forget them, but more exciting than that are the ideas that so often pop up as I’m writing and how those ideas evolve into fruition.

 

4.  It gives a shift in perspective, encouraging problem solving.

Once something is written down I have slightly less attachment to it than if it was swirling around in my head.  I can view it as a friend would and I often find a solution that was perhaps there all along but difficult to see.

 

5.  It encourages mindfulness – you have to pay attention to something to be able to write about it.

In one of the first creative writing classes I attended, we were encouraged to use the different senses in our writing – what did it look/sound/smell/feel/taste like?  I realised I’d found another way to practice mindfulness, one that at times feels more tangible than trying to simply observe my thoughts.

 

6.  It reduces stress and increases feeling of wellbeing.

From writing in my journal for fifteen minutes, I can feel like I’ve just poured my heart out to a close friend, found a solution to something that’s been troubling me and gained an inspiring idea.  It’s no wonder I feel better for it.

 

7.  It helps you process feelings during stressful and traumatic events, reducing associated physical and emotional difficulties.

There have been times in my life when I haven’t been able to speak, but I’ve been able to write.  On a less extreme level, I continue to find giving myself time to write about any event, especially a challenging one, helps me to process it and move forward.

 

8.  It eases insomnia.

I write in my journal as part of my bedtime routine.  Off-loading thoughts onto the page, about anything and everything, helps quiet my mind for sleep.

 

9.  It helps keep your actions aligned with your goals, values and beliefs.

My journal keeps me on track.  It helps me check that I am indeed doing what I need and want to be.  It helps me reflect on achievements and plan ahead.  It holds me accountable.

 

10. It helps you gain a greater understanding of yourself, your relationships and the world around you.

The culmination of all of the above, my journal has become a study of life from which I make constant discoveries.