You may have used a journal or diary when you were younger to express your feelings and thoughts and probably have never considered journaling as an adult. We overlook the insights and control that journaling can provide for our lives as we age, and our days fill with stressful events, problems, and decisions.
Journaling has many mental wellness benefits and can significantly reduce anxiety, depression, and chronic stress. By reflecting as you write, you can take a step back from your thoughts and emotions and see them through a different lens.
Journaling as a Solution
Because we are all faced with negative self-talk and self-doubt each day, journaling can be a tool to identify these behaviors and notice the various ways they are holding us back in life. You will be surprised at the different stories your mind makes up and the worries circulating through the brain when you write them down and take a step back.
Keeping a journal helps you manage these worries and stressors and identify their root cause with a new perspective. Journaling provides a safe zone free of judgment and punishment, where you can write down everything that you were feeling that day.
By committing to a daily journal, you will notice over time the control it provides for you to take over your thoughts and find a place to let go of everything bottled up. It is essential to incorporate it into your daily routine, preferably writing the same time every day so that you can keep yourself accountable and commit to it successfully. Even when you do not feel like writing, you can keep it brief and write down things you have to do the next day to clear your mind.
Below are two ways that you can begin journaling and some different prompts to use to get you started.
· Gratitude Journaling
A gratitude journal is a great place to start journaling because it will shift and transform your mindset to a more positive and optimistic one. You will feel more satisfied and happier with each day and will notice and be grateful for the little things that happen in your life. You can make a list of everything that makes you grateful each morning, or you can do three things in the morning and three things before you go to sleep.
Both of these techniques are a great way to notice the small thing in your life and become more thankful for your surroundings. This type of journaling will teach you to replace worrisome and negative thoughts with positive and grateful ones.
· Worry Dump Journaling
A worry journal is just as crucial as a gratitude journal because it forces you to come to terms with limiting thoughts that pose a stranglehold in your life. Starting a worry journal means writing out everything that stresses you or the negative emotions you feel. You will have to be honest with yourself, and these negative thought cycles to let go of them and free your mind.
Rather than pushing your thoughts to the back of the mind and allowing them to resurface later, writing them down will enable you to embrace them and determine its origin. It will make you feel more relaxed and lighter.
These are two prevalent strategies in journaling that offer a great starting place to improve your mental wellness. Once you commit to a daily journal, you will release stress, feelings of being overwhelmed, overthinking, and excessive worry, and transition into a more positive mindset.