Why You Need to Start Journaling…Now!

Do you keep a journal? Did you just roll your eyes? Maybe you already journal or maybe you are a journaling cynic, but are you aware of all the benefits of jotting down your thoughts?

I’ve never been an avid journalist. There have been times I tried, but I was never consistent enough to make it a habit. Plus, my perfectionist personality had a hard time just letting the words and writing flow without needing everything to be just so. After all, if you can’t do something well, don’t do it at all. Now that I’m older and wiser, I see the errors of my perfectionist ways. And I’m ready to give journaling another try. Especially after learning how good it is for your mental and physical health.

Reduce Stress: Stress is hard on your health. Science has proven it. Excess stress will diminish your quality of life. Journaling is one tactic to overcome this. According to a study, doing some journaling, or expressive writing, for 15 to 20 minutes a day 3 to 5 times over the course of 4 months is enough to lower blood pressure and give people better liver function. Writing about stressful times helps us manage them in a healthy way. Establishing a habit of journaling in the morning or right before bed can help you de-stress and get your day off to a great start.

Improve Immune Function: Journaling can strengthen your immunity and decrease your risk of illness. Studies have shown journaling to improve peoples’ immune system functioning, along with improvements in asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and healing after surgery.

Brain Training: Writing in a journal keeps your brain in shape. It boosts your memory and comprehension, is correlated to higher grade point averages, reduced absenteeism from work, quicker re-employment after job loss, improved sports performance, and may impact how we interact with others.

Mood Booster: Need more positivity in your life? Journaling will take you there. Writing can improve your mood and give you a greater sense of overall well-being and happiness. When you journal you can connect with your inner needs and desires and regulate your emotions. You will have a greater sense of confidence and self-identity.

Hopefully I’ve convinced you to start journaling! If you are worried about becoming stuck or not knowing what to write, start slow – with just a sentence. Don’t worry about making it perfect with punctuation, proper grammar, or correct spelling. Just write – I’m going to.