Do You Journal Yet? The Psychological Benefits Of Getting Your Journal Game On!

Do you journal yet? Let me catch you right there. When we hear the world journaling we think of this teenager girl telling her diary about her life. This universal understanding has been hovering like a stigma over the topic of journaling. And I might even go as far as to say that it might have denied a lot of people the opportunity to leverage the valuable psychological effects journaling has for our mental health.

It’s No Spiritual Wohoo. It’s Science!

Now, before I dive into the practicality of different journal kinds let me bring in some facts. Study results show that when we jot down our thoughts our brain gets a direct signal that our worries are being addressed. Even though we might not know the answer in the moment this simple act will be enough to log our thoughts in our brain, lift off the heaviness of our thoughts and calm our mind. This will be especially powerful when waking up in the night with anxious or depressive thoughts as proposed by the scientist Klinger.

Journaling doesn’t only increase our mental well-being, studies also suggest that the act of journaling impacts our physical health. University of Texas psychologist and researcher James Pennebaker contends that regular journaling helps strengthen the immune cells inside our bodies.

Morning Pages.

Do your journal morning pages yet? The concept of the so-called “Morning Pages” has been introduced by the American teacher & artist Julia Cameron. They are supposed to serve as an opportunity for “brain dumping” which basically suggests removing anything that’s overwhelming your mind. We tend to carry an overload of irrelevant information around with us which denies us the opportunity to think straight & be creative!

How To: Every morning your first activity of the day will be to write down 3 handwritten pages in a notebook. The interesting part being that you are literally putting anything on paper that comes to mind. No concept. No structure. This will allow you to free up your mind for important thoughts & tasks without being confused and consumed by the daily inner chatter.

Gratitude Journaling

Making ourselves aware fo aspects that we are grateful for in our lives releases positive hormones to our brain which in return makes us feel positive and calms our mind. Practicing gratitude in the form of gratitude journaling works like exercising a muscle. You’re gradually strengthening your gratitude muscle and increase your sensitivity to feelings of gratitude in the process.

How To: Every day, either in the morning or the evening, or ideally at both times of the day, sit down and write down 3 things you are grateful for. This will give a direct command to your mind to focus on the good and give your brain the opportunity to release those feel-good hormones.

Reflective Journaling

Normally, I am a big fan of the “Morning Pages”. Most recently, I have switched to the reflective journaling approach at the end of each day. With this practice it’s highly critical to review your own thoughts and analyze and decode them in the process. It should not turn into a simple story writing approach but rather allow yourself a daily check-in with yourself. Your personal time of honesty with yourself.

How To: This one is simple. Sit down and let your thoughts wander and land on whichever thought stream your mind takes you to. The only thing…You gotta be honest with yourself! No hiding. It’s just you and your pages. Ideally, no one will ever read them so you’re safe within those lines.

Find Your Own.

This goes well together with the above. This is YOUR life. So, don’t mimic someone else’s approach. Don’t put expectations on yourself that don’t feel natural to you. Be brave…honest…and curious. That’s all I am asking of you. The easiest practice in life is to settle in the comfort of the known. However, the true magic of life lies beyond! It takes exceptional courage to experience an exceptional life! So next time asks you: “Do you journal?” distance yourself from the world “journal” and replace it with “Do you reflect frequently”.

Be that person that chooses exceptional over comfortable!

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