7 Surprising Ways Journaling Can Transform Your Life
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“I don’t have the time to write every day.â€
“I’m such a lousy writer.â€
“My life is so uninteresting. What do I write about?â€
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These are some of the most common responses to being asked to start a journal. If you’re thinking along the same lines, then you are missing out on a powerful tool to improve your mental well-being.
Maintaining a journal has got nothing to do with your writing or creativity skills. You are not writing for the world here. You are only writing for yourself.
A 2005 study found that participants who wrote about traumatic, stressful or emotional events were significantly less likely to get sick, and were less seriously affected by trauma, compared to their non-journaling counterparts.
Journaling is a life-changing habit and the earlier you embrace it, the better it is for you. Here are 7 surprising benefits of maintaining a journal that promise to transform your life –
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1. Understand your EmotionsHave there been instances when you’ve felt that your emotions are taking over your life or wondered why you’re feeling such intense emotions?
At such times, it’s important stop, look inwards and control your emotions before they start controlling you. This is where having a journal helps. The key is to be descriptive and allow yourself to write everything little thing you’re feeling.
When you note down what you’re exactly feeling and what triggered those feelings, it helps you make sense of your emotions and keep track of them to check for patterns.
2. Organize your ThoughtsHow can we expect ourselves to be organized if our thoughts are all over the place? This just overwhelms us and hinders productivity.
Whether it’s your ideas or plans – when you get into the practice of writing them down, you bring order to that chaos. Don’t just stop at writing down your ideas or plans. It’s also a good idea to jot down actionable strategies to bring those ideas into life.
3. Track your GoalsDid you know that writing a journal can help you achieve your goals? A study revealed that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down.
When you write down your goals and see them laid out in front of you, it motivates you to take concrete steps towards achieving them. They are no longer passing thoughts in your head, they mean something.
So, write down your short and long term goals and make read more them time website bound. On days when you’re feeling listless and uninspired, you can look back at everything you have achieved and that is sure to reignite your motivation.
4. Record Lessons from Past ExperiencesThere is a lot that we experience in life but with time, we tend to forget those experiences or rather, don’t remember them with the accuracy they deserve.
When you choose to record your experiences and the lessons learnt in your journal, it remains etched in your memory and even if you do forget, all you need to do is revisit those pages.
From looking back on experiences and gaining insights to reliving special moments in your life – recording your life events is great for self-awareness and development.
5. Relieves Stress and AnxietyIf you’ve gone through a stressful event or experienced something that triggered anxiety, it’s advisable to write about it. Instead of letting your fears and anxieties take over, when you consciously decide to write about them, it gives you more clarity.
Journaling lets you explore and process your emotions better which helps in relieving stress and anxiety.
6. Vent Out Negative ThoughtsWe’re human and negative thoughts are an inevitable part of life.
Whether you’re angry with someone or just frustrated, sometimes all you need to do is vent out those feelings and what better way to do it than to write it all out.
Writing is one of the healthiest ways of venting. It lets you release those thoughts and emotions without any inhibitions and get them out of your system which is essential for your physical and mental well-being.
7. Boosts Self-DisciplineSelf-discipline is wiring your brain to do the things you need to be doing. It comes with practice and when mastered, can help you accomplish goals in any sphere of your life.
Writing a journal daily develops discipline because you are religiously doing something on a consistent basis. This is a huge motivator which makes you more confident and lets you believe that if you can stick to this one habit, you can also translate it to other areas of your life.
When you begin journaling, check here you realize what a therapeutic experience it is and in today’s stressful times, we all need to spend some time understanding ourselves better. So, bring out a diary or take to your laptop and put aside a few minutes every day to write about yourself, for yourself.
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