Benefits of Journaling
Scientifically backed reasons you should start writing today
As kids, most of us probably kept a journal at some point in time. Whether it was a school project given to us by our teacher, or self-imposed, I am pretty sure that most of us had one throughout childhood. Maybe yours was tacky like mine and covered in stickers and doodles, or maybe yours was the kind that had a lock and key.
No matter what our journal style was, it held our deepest darkest secrets and we prayed that that no one found it, especially not our siblings who would hold its contents over our heads for the foreseeable future.
I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the train. — Oscar Wilde
Believe it or not, the practice of journaling actually dates back to at least tenth century Japan, and most of the successful people in history have kept a journal. As it turns out, the practice is a good one. A journal is an empowering tool for self-expression that is helpful for improving the quality of life on many levels, and for helping you reach your goals. It is more than just a record of memories, and actually holds some surprising health benefits.
Boosted Immune System
Studies have shown that expressive writing can actually boost the immune system and reduce your chance of getting sick by strengthening the immune cells called T-lymphocytes.
Whether you’re keeping a journal or writing as a meditation, it’s the same thing. What’s important is you’re having a relationship with your mind. — Natalie Goldberg
Reduced Depression
Journaling has been shown to help relieve the symptoms of depression. It doesn’t replace medical intervention when symptoms are severe, but it can be used as a tool either on its own, or as a complementary treatment for managing depression.
Stice, Burton, Bearman, & Rohde, 2006 finds that journaling has been shown to potentially be as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy for reducing symptoms in high-risk adolescents.
Krpan, Kross, Berman, Deldin, Askren, & Jonides, 2013 shows that after only three days of expressive writing for 20 minutes a day, patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder report significantly lower depressions scores.
There’s simply no better way to learn about your thought processes than to write them down. — Barbara Markway
Stress Management
When we experience stress, we release a hormone called cortisol which can lead to increased inflammation in our bodies and contribute to chronic illness and disease, but journaling helps us to manage our stress and avoid this excessive buildup of cortisol.
Cultivates Gratitude
You may be asking how does cultivating gratitude have anything to do with improving health, and the answers to this may surprise you. Emmons & McCullough, 2003 states that gratitude journaling boosts your long-term well-being, encourages you to exercise, decreases physical pain, and improves sleep.
Improves Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, process and manage your emotions and the emotions of others. Your journal is a tool for processing your emotions and learning to better manage them as a result. By learning to better recognize, process and manage your emotions you will become more intuitive and understanding when it comes to the emotions of others, which in turn allows you to develop deeper connections and improve your relationships.
Boosts Self-Confidence
When you write about positive experiences that have happened in your life, it gives your brain permission to relive those moments, and in doing so causes a release of dopamine and endorphins which improves mood and boosts self-confidence.
I’ve always written. There’s a journal which I kept from about 9 years old. — Maya Angelou
When you are journaling, don’t worry so much about spelling and punctuation, and write without censoring yourself. Writing quickly helps to turn off your subconscious censors. Don’t think too deeply about what you want to write, just let the words flow and get them down on the paper. You might find that it helps to pick topics for the day, week or even month.
Pen and paper is best for journaling. People who use apps on their cell phone are likely to write a lot less than they would if they were using a pen and paper. The act of physical writing stimulates our brains in ways that digital apps can’t.
Did you ever notice the words journal and journey are very similar to each other? To journal is to journey into the mind. — Kristen Abram
Studies have shown that journaling every day has more benefits than writing occasionally. Of course, any time that you can set aside for writing in your journal has benefits, but setting aside 20 minutes a day should be made a priority in order to reap the most benefits.
- It promotes and strengthens the creative mind
- It drives you in the direction of your goals
- It gives you the ability to get the days stresses off of your shoulders and onto paper to help you process and manage how you feel
- Helps you to identify patterns and triggers
- Helps you to discover your authentic voice and improve your writing skills
- It leaves a written record of your personal experiences which can be helpful for you in the future
Keeping a journal of what’s going on in your life is a good way to help you distill what’s important and what’s not. — Martina Navratilova
Baikie and Wilhelm (2005) make a few suggestions to ensure that your time spent journaling is as productive as possible:
- Write in a personalized and private space where you won’t be distracted or interrupted
- Allow yourself some time to reflect and balance back out after a writing session
- Journal about whatever feels right in the moment
- Give your writing whatever structure or style that feels right for you
- Keep your journal private, you are writing it for you and no one else
A journal is your completely unaltered voice. — Lucy Dacus
Hopefully I was able to provide you with some insights into the why and how of journaling. There are many many ways to write a journal, just do what works for you and remember that the most important rule is that there are no set rules when it comes to your journal. It is your own personal journal and anything goes!
Check out my other journaling article to see how to journal away your anxiety.