As we are walking into a new year, we might as well emerge ourselves into some new and healthy habits. In today's article let's find out about the amazing benefits of journaling.
Have you ever tried simply writing something down, whenever you’re feeling like your emotions are getting the best out of you? Did you notice how you get a sense of relief when writing certain things down on paper? It’s like you’re making your concerns a little bit more tangible, you tend to believe that the paper will take better care of them and will somehow handle things for you along the way!
I had noticed that writing had this impact on me at some point last year (feels interesting calling 2021 last year now). I had some unresolved and unsaid things I was expecting from an important person in my life, yet, the problem was that I knew I would never hear what I was expecting from that same person. So I had to tuck myself into a conversation with my own thoughts instead. And journaling became my remedy. I didn’t really have to try and be all artistic when writing down my thoughts. I simply had to write them, see them and read them out loud sometimes to understand how I felt. Visualizing my feelings provided me with major comfort and peace of mind.
Yet, like the peace of mind wasn’t enough, I also gained other benefits from having a pen and paper as my friends. And while we’re at it, I know we all have laptops and tablets nowadays but please, when journaling, stick to the old-fashioned way of writing things down: plain pen and paper. It adds a whole lot more value and spirit to the process of healing. And getting back to the benefits, I noticed how little by little I became more aware of how I felt towards certain things. The thing about journaling is that you can go back to the written pages anytime you want to, and reflect on the way you handled things. Sometimes when I read the things I wrote last year, it feels like a time machine, that is allowing me to introspect once again and see just how much I have matured or how much I have changed from the last time I felt anger, insecurity or even happiness.
And so life dynamics changed. Different things kept coming and my writing continued, providing me with a more mindful approach towards my well-being. This happened also because when you write things down, you are also in some way committing. Without noticing, you make commitments to improve certain aspects of your life, your memory works a whole lot better and you have better organizing skills as well. I was noticing this all by myself, however, when I read the data behind this, I was even more in awe of just how much of a blessing writing can be to us.
There seem to be countless studies that have shown that journaling can reduce overall levels of depression, and there was a ground-breaking one by Stice, Burton, Bearman, & Rohde back in 2006 which showed that writing in a journal can be as effective as cognitive-behavioral therapy when it comes to reducing the risk of depression in young adults.
So there you have it: the benefits & the science that backs them up. I say you start writing and get that gratitude flowing as soon as possible!
Read more about journaling here:
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