Taking pen to paper, exploring a world of unknown imagination and creation; journaling can be a source of great positivity for many people. Some people jot down thoughts, write entire passages about their days, or write what they’re grateful for. For many, journaling can be a small habit that allows them to change their focus and redirect their attention. Journaling can provide benefits for people who are interested in using it to help organize their thoughts.
Journaling can help reduce stress and allow for relaxation. When life gets busy and one’s day-to-day routine blurs together, journaling can help people enjoy the positives of life by writing them. Journaling can allow people to express their opinions and feelings by writing them down, allowing for reflection and introspection. By writing about one’s personal conflicts and challenges, journaling can help someone visualize solutions and reduce stress over those issues. The act of acknowledging one’s thoughts can manage anxiety and depression by giving value to one’s thoughts and feelings.
Sarah Pace, who avidly journals in her free time, touched on the benefits she finds from journaling.
“It gives me a place to get all of my thoughts out and to organize my thoughts without, like, overloading with emotions. It gives me a safe and secure place to kind of process emotions and find solutions. I think that by prioritizing mental health, I’m able to have good physical health,” said Pace.
Journaling helps inspire creativity. A journal is a canvas for one’s thoughts and personality. The blank pages of a journal can be filled and personalized in any way, helping people connect back to their creativity. Creativity is vital for balance because it creates a connection between critical thinking and fun. When life can feel mundane and repetitive, novelty can be the key to regaining focus and concentration. Journaling can help inspire this novelty by creating an outlet for creativity.
For people wanting to improve their memory or use journaling as a way to keep memories, journaling can benefit memory strength. The act of reflecting on the past and committing to new ideas allows for a person to train their memory. Integrating journaling into one’s life can help boost memory skills, which can be directly correlated with success as a student, employee productivity, and overall focus.
The small hobby of journaling can invite novelty and inspiration into one’s life. All it takes to change one’s life is initiative and prioritization. Make wanting to improve mentality and positivity a priority, and journaling can help you expand your horizons as an individual.