The concept of journaling is not only for teenagers with sparkly spirals and colorful pens. The benefits are applicable to all people, in all walks of life. Journaling has repeatedly proven to be a way of managing stress and anxiety, mining your true feelings, and allowing for a healthy emotional release. The trick to gaining those benefits is sticking with it. Perhaps you started a journal once before, but quickly prioritized other things over your journal time. Life can easily always get in the way, but here are a few reasons why you should make this commitment!
Manage Stress and Anxiety
Much like writing a letter to someone but never sending it, expressing your thoughts and feelings on paper can aid in gaining control over them. The act of articulating your worries, your anxieties, and your fears allows them to not only become more manageable but creates the path for a solution. This practice evokes mindfulness and self-awareness.  Journaling helps you identify emotional triggers to better enable you to adjust your approach to life’s challenges.
Improve Insight and Acknowledge Feelings
Journaling gives you the freedom to privately express how you truly feel and can foster self-discovery and exploration. Over time, you may begin to notice patterns of distorted thinking. This kind of insight could provide direction to make changes to better your life… necessary changes that you were previously unaware of. Writing gives you the freedom to express yourself and acknowledge your raw emotion without judgement.
Catharsis
What is catharsis, you ask? According to dictionary.com, catharsis is the purging of emotions or of emotional tension. Journaling provides this release for you. It feels good to get that emotion out. When was the last time you sat down with a good friend and poured your heart out? There is typically a sense of relief after having the opportunity to release those thoughts, feelings, and emotions in a safe place. Journal writing can provide you that safe place… a place to consciously sort through deep emotions that you may have previously suppressed.
Journaling has been proven over and over as an effective way to cope with daily struggles and life’s curveballs. Start now! Give it a try. It only takes a few minutes to begin the process. Add journaling to your toolbox for dealing with life’s challenges.