Journaling is good for you because it’s a release on an internal pressure valve for stress and emotional pain. It helps you sort through thoughts and feelings and organize ideas around different areas of your life that need your attention. It can relieve tension and shift negative moods, thus increasing health benefits.
Journaling also is a great tool to use for problem solving and gives you valuable insight into what motivates your behavior. Not only that, but it is a great way to store your own personal history and memories.
Let’s dive into this centuries old personal writing practice and how it benefits your life.
A Brief History of Journaling
Logging things like accounting details and business practices, journaling has been around since handwriting was invented sometime around 3400 BC. In the 1500s, people began to use writing more personally. People made entries about public life and of their inner thoughts and life details. Leonardo DaVinci wrote over 5000 diary entries of his ideas.
In the mid 1600s, a guy named Samuel Pepys in England started the diary. He where wrote specifically of his personal life and the local goings-on. That bloomed into travelers documenting their journeys and poets creating reflective works, such as Walden’s Pond by Henry Thoreau. It became an important method of historical insight into time periods (think Anne Frank’s diary from World War II).
Modern Journaling
The use of writing for personal development and therapeutic purposes came about in the 1960s with the work of Ira Progoff, an American psychotherapist. He invented the Intensive Journal Method, which came out of his therapy practice where he had patients keep a “psychological notebook”.
His method evolved into workshops where participants used a sectioned-off notebook to examine various areas of their lives for emotional and mental well-being. This was meant to evoke one’s Elan Vital, or life force energy, and restore one to wholeness. Since then, many experts have used journal writing for self-help and development.
I have completed two levels of the Intensive Journal Method. I can attest to that it is a systematic way to unlock stuck emotions and to process old, lingering memories. Because it is so structured and directed, it’s hard to become lost in rumination and you can make real progress in growing psychologically.
Since then, people have studied the effects of personal journaling. Let’s look at the science behind how writing effects the brain.
What Does Journaling Do to the Brain?
Journaling is good for the brain because it helps relieve stress, primarily. When we experience stress or anxiety on a regular basis, our brain’s neural networks become imbalanced. This can over or under produced mood or decision-making behaviors that effect our health. It changes the gray and white matter ratio of the brain, which are responsible for problem-solving and connecting various parts of the brain. This can eventually cause mental health issues.
Have you ever raced around your house looking for your wallet when you’re in a rush? You seem to forget the most basic things. That’s because stress also affects memory. Being in a of stress means the hormone cortisol is high in your system. Cortisol has been shown to cause brain fog and forgetfulness. Because the stress response tells the body that it’s in a state of flight or fight, or survival mode, more sophisticated functions of the brain take a seat.
In journaling, you’re ideally releasing your negative, or stressful, thoughts and feelings. The deluge of emotions that can come out onto a blank page means that you’re brain is not longer holding onto those pent-up fears and causes for anxiety. Over time, the practice of journal writing helps reduce stress because you’re transferring it to an outer object and giving the brain a break in holding on to psychological worry and problems.
Pin it!
The Benefits of Journaling
For over 25 years I’ve kept a journal. There is a large plastic tub of my old ones in our attic. I tell my sister that if I die I want them buried with me! Sometimes journaling has been a lonely process, as though I was just shooting thoughts into a void. But mostly, my journal has been like a dear friend sitting quietly as I tell her my innermost secrets, thoughts, and dreams.
The therapeutic benefits of journaling includes:
- Reducing stress and anxiety: Writing down your thoughts and feelings can help you process them, reducing the amount of stress and anxiety you feel.
- Improving self-awareness: Journaling helps you become more self-aware by identifying patterns in your thoughts and behaviors, allowing you to recognize areas for personal growth and improvement.
- Enhancing creativity: Journaling serves as a creative outlet, allowing you to explore your imagination and generate new ideas.
- Increasing mindfulness: By taking the time to write down your thoughts and feelings, you become more present and mindful of your experiences.
- Boosting memory and comprehension: Writing things down can help you remember them better, and can also aid in comprehension by forcing you to articulate your thoughts more clearly.
- Providing a record of personal growth: Journaling over time can provide a record of your personal growth and progress, allowing you to reflect on how far you’ve come.
- Improving communication skills: Regular journaling can help improve your writing skills, making you a more effective communicator in both personal and professional settings.
Overall, journaling can be a valuable tool for self-reflection, personal growth, and emotional well-being. It can be something that you look back upon and cherish as you’ll have written down present-time real-life memories.
How to Journal
There are many methods you can try when journaling. Some popular forms are bullet journaling, keeping a daily log, an art journal, a gratitude journal, or a stream of consciousness journal. I prefer the method of keeping a daily log.
In the Intensive Journal Method by Ira Progoff that was mentioned above, you keep a daily log as your primary journal. There, you simply record on a page or two the actual events of the day and a few lines of related thoughts and feelings. You note the highlights and key points but refrain from any deep-diving into any particular emotion or thought.
Then, you use other sections of the journal, such as the Steppingstones section, to flesh out those details. The general point of this method is that it helps you organize your inner world and keeps you from getting hung up on one particular thing or another. It encourages that life force energy to move, release stuck-ness, and process internal information.
Recommendations for How to Begin Journaling
Here are a few ways to begin a journaling practice:
- Set aside a specific time and place for journaling: It can be helpful to establish a routine for journaling so that it becomes a regular habit. Choose a time and place that works best for you, whether it’s first thing in the morning, at lunchtime, or before bed.
- Choose a journal that you like: Pick a journal that you enjoy writing in. It could be a plain notebook or a more decorative journal with prompts or inspirational quotes. Whatever journal you choose, make sure it feels comfortable and inviting to write in.
- Start with a simple prompt: Sometimes it can be difficult to know what to write about. Starting with a simple prompt can help you get started. For example, you could write about your day, your thoughts and feelings, your goals, something that you’re grateful for, or writing about your shadow self (or negative side).
- Write freely: When you’re writing in your journal, don’t worry about grammar or punctuation. Just let your thoughts flow freely onto the page. Don’t censor yourself or be concerned about being judged. Remember, your journal is a private space just for you.
- Keep it up: The key to establishing a journaling practice is to make it a regular habit. Even if you only write a few sentences a day, make sure you write something. Over time, you may find that your journal becomes an important tool for self-reflection and personal growth.
Get To Know Yourself
I hope you decide to pick up journaling. If you already journal, keep it up and perhaps try a new approach to spice things up such as starting to add drawings. For me, journaling is a way to get to know myself and come up with solutions inwardly instead of having to talk it out with another person all the time (even though that’s great too!). I believe the more you are quiet and listen to yourself, the more that wisdom, insight, joy, and creative ideas bubbles up. Cherish your writing. It’s good for you!