Journey into Journaling

Keeping a diary might seem silly or old-fashioned, but consistently journaling has proven to have both short- and long-term health benefits.

Stress reducer. Writing about your feelings or even just recapping your day for about 15 minutes daily can help reduce physical stress symptoms such as high blood pressure.
Memory invigorator. Journaling can help increase memory capacity and comprehension.
Immune system improver. Writing expressively has the ability to strengthen the immune system, decrease symptoms of asthma and arthritis, and improve liver function.
Emotional function enhancer. Writing about your feelings helps you connect inner needs and desires to outer functions, evoking personal awareness while also helping the brain regulate emotions. Additionally, journaling engages right-brained activity, creates a deeper understating of the self, and enables personal growth.
Mood booster. Writing life events and thoughts down can help boost the mood and nurture emotional well-being.

Journaling can be different for everyone. It doesn’t have to be restrained to writing paragraphs every day. You can journal in whatever way works for you. Some different types of journaling include:

  1. Traditional diary:

    Writing down your thoughts, feelings, day’s activities in a paragraph style.

  2. Bullet journaling:

    Consists of bullet points and lists, categories and subcategories. Try getting creative with your bullets by using symbols or codes.

  3. A journal app on your smartphone:

    Apps are available that make journaling easy to access.

  4. Art journal:

    Incorporates art, drawings, words, poems, pictures, or anything you want to help get your thoughts and feelings down on the page.

Content by Lockton Dunning Benefits with info from: