One of the most effective acts of self-care is journaling. Even if you don’t think you need to, or perhaps have no desire to, there are some great benefits of journaling on a daily basis. Taking 10 to 20 minutes out of your day can be that relaxing and relieving activity you never thought you needed in life.
I have been journaling since I was a sophomore in high school and I am now halfway done with my senior year of college. Almost every night for the past 6 years I have journaled. As part of my winding down routine, I put down the school work, put down my phone and focus on picking up a pen and writing any thoughts, emotions or stories I had from that day. A journal doesn’t have to be just writing either – I enjoy bullet journaling, where I include drawings, schedules, stories, plans for each week and so on. I have found that journaling has helped me even when I feel like I’ve had the worst day ever. I know it can help you, too. So, here’s a few reasons why journaling may be your new calling:
Regular writing has amazing health benefits
Writing can do wonders for your mental health. Regular writing can give you a purifying release for all the stresses of your everyday life. Especially as college students in a global pandemic, this may be just the best time for you to start. Journaling something such as positive self affirmations can improve your self-esteem and help you create a better outlook on yourself. Not only does journaling make you feel better, it helps you re-live past events you have experienced and either learn from them, grow from them or just simply reflect on them. Having that safe space for yourself inside that journal can give you the strength to process the past without fear or stress. Just you and the pages.
Regular writing is a great way to build better habits
Setting a time of day to sit down and journal is the first step to creating a healthy habit. Journaling forces you to be aware of your actions and behaviors, such as journaling days you workout, read, etc. This helped me improve my habits of keeping a daily schedule so I am never crammed with assignments. I do so by doodling a fun schedule for each week. I have also formed healthier eating habits by journaling recipes and reusing them.
Regular writing can help you track progress and growth
As humans, we are always looking for ways to better ourselves to become the best version of ourselves and succeed at what we do in life…which can be super stressful and detrimental to our health. I have found that journaling my progress and growth with my emotions, relationships and my thoughts has helped me grow into a way stronger person than I ever thought I could be. It is SO beneficial to keep track of your mood each day to help you identify good patterns in your life that are repeatable that you should make more time for. Or vise versa, things that make you feel bad that should be eliminated from your life. Doing so will help you progress into a happier, healthier person. You’ll find yourself smiling more…trust me!
I encourage you to try it out, buy a journal or pick up an old notebook. Label the date and let your mind run free. Stick it out, try to make it a habit and you will start to see improvements in yourself, as well as feeling accomplished in creating something that is truly all about the wonderful, unique YOU!