Journal to Feel Better: A Simple Act of Self-Care

10/13/20244 min read

Why Journaling is worth your time

Journaling has been proven to be one of the most effective acts of self-care. Keeping a journal is both a mood and immune booster, improves focus, mindfulness, memory and communication. Whether you want to sleep better, lower stress and anxiety, or help yourself through a difficult time, journaling has the power to help. Throughout history, great minds like Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin and Lewis and Clark kept journals. Not just to record their work, but to also process their thoughts and emotions, which in turn allowed them to better understand the events they were experiencing. Some of today's most successful celebrities and business icons keep journals. The wellness benefits of keeping a journal are backed by science and by the millions of everyday people who practice this simple, life changing ritual. It is an easy and cost-effective way to improve the health of your mind, body and life energy.

The desire to grow and evolve is ingrained in us. If we feel a need to change something about our life we often look at the outer conditions and convince ourselves that if we could just change others, or move to a new place, or change jobs, or start a new relationship that we will finally find peace. But sometimes, even when we make those kinds of life changes, we often end up feeling like we are repeating history. It’s like that old saying, “wherever you go, there you are.”

Our lives don’t truly change as long as we remain the same.

Connect to Yourself

Journaling is a spiritual practice even if you don’t intend it to be. You are ultimately connecting to yourself, and it’s a space to express yourself freely. Don’t underestimate its power. Writing from your heart, being honest with yourself, can be a true journey in self-transformation.

Paper and pen is all you need!

The journal itself can be as basic as a dollar priced notebook, or you can shop to your heart's content for one of the thousands of wonderful journals available online, in bookstores or gift shops. Pen is preferable to pencil. You don’t want to edit yourself, that’s part of the whole purpose of journaling, so no eraser necessary. If you plan to keep your journals, for yourself or others, ink is a better and more permanent writing tool. So, find a favorite pen to get started!

The blank page is not a scary place, it is a welcoming place.

Allow yourself to feel child-like and do anything you want with your blank page.

Doodle, do side notes, cross things out.

Journals are for your eyes only.

Do not worry about grammar or how neat your writing is!

Hand write. Don’t type.

We are less distracted when we hand-write; it is a direct brain to hand connection that allows us to connect to ourselves. Handwriting forces us to slow down and be mindful and in the moment, much like meditation. This gives the brain a chance to rest and the opportunity to “speak” creativity. We cannot create when we are in a state of stress.

Writing on a computer is more automatic and robotic. Handwriting takes us to more of an emotional place that opens up space and lets us connect to the words that we are writing.

Handwriting activates large regions of the brain that are responsible for thinking, language, healing and memory.

You don’t have to give up your computer. Some people set up an analog workstation and a digital workstation, separating the two so that they can work simply using their brain and hand without digital distractions.

Review of the simple starter steps to journaling:

Step 1- Get a notebook/journal and a pen

Step 2- Write by hand

A Gratitude Journal

The act of being grateful changes your physiology. Dr. Jeffrey Huffman, a psychiatrist from Massachusetts General Hospital observed that writing a letter of gratitude is one of the most effective positive interventions for depression. If you are feeling blue, look for things that you can be grateful for. A gratitude practice helps shift your focus to the positive aspects of your life, even during tough times. There are no rules, you can feel gratitude for anything. The cup of tea that you are drinking. The birds you hear chirping. The breath in your lungs. Grab your journal and write down three things in your life that you are grateful for: You cannot be stressed and feel grateful at the same time.

Emotional processing

When something happens that upsets us, venting on paper can help you process your feelings and assist in moving past the incident. Your journal can be a safe space where you can vent your frustrations without judgment. Write freely, without coherence or structure. It’s like being a friend to yourself.

Dear self…

Or write a letter to someone else in your journal.

Dear Elizabeth……

You can use your journal to write to someone and “speak” to someone through the written word, whether they live in this world or another.

Catching your thoughts

Free-write: uncensored expression without judgment.

If we free-write and then read back our thoughts, it can serve as self-study in awareness. You may begin to recognize patterns in how you speak to yourself. This offers you the opportunity to acknowledge negative self-talk, and spot stress triggers.

You can also try to restructure a thought. If you wrote down a negative thought, try re-writing it in a more positive or realistic light. You can put a big “X” across the old thought or just write “Re-thought” under it and create another way to say it. Words have energy.

Free-writing tips:

Start with five or ten minutes of continuous writing. You can begin with just how you are feeling at the present moment. Free writing can be used as a simple way to gather your thoughts in the morning, or to release and re-energize at lunch time, or in the evening to reflect.

Types of Journals:

Bullet journal

Art journal

Dream journal

Reading journal

One line a day journal

Travel journal

Seasonal Ritual journal

Nature journal

Prayer journal

Garden journal

Writer’s journal