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The word, “journaling,” often brings to mind an image of a young boy or girl scribbling in their diary, gushing about their most recent crush at school.
But journaling isn’t something that should just be reserved for our more youthful days.
Journaling actually presents a multitude of psychological health benefits that last longer than even our most serious, teenage crushes.
So whether you’re coping with loss, having problems in your relationship, or just trying to figure out what your next life steps are, look no further than your pen and paper.
Read on to learn how you can benefit from journaling, and why it’s your best bet for self-guided therapy.
8 Reasons Why Journaling is the Best Form of Self-Guided Therapy
1. Identifies and clarifies your emotions. When we become overwhelmed with emotions like anxiety, regret, anger, and sadness, it becomes increasingly difficult to sort through our feelings and understand why we feel such inner turmoil. When we journal our thoughts and feelings, we’re able to identify exactly what has triggered us to feel a certain way. This clarification of emotions and feelings leads to a deeper, more connected sense of understanding our inner selves.
2. Gain a greater sense of control over your emotions. Once you’re able to identify and clarify your emotions, you not only understand yourself better, but you also gain a greater sense of control of your emotions. Why? When you transfer your thoughts from mind to paper, your emotions are no longer trapped in your mind. In a way, you’re “calling out” your worries, concerns, and doubts, and no longer letting them control you or your life. You essentially bring attention to your emotions, making them easier to manage over time.
3. Alleviates stress and anxiety. There’s a reason why committing your thoughts to paper feels so soothing. Journaling has been found to be an exceptional tool for not only managing stress and anxiety, but also reducing both. When you organize your thoughts onto paper, the answers to your challenges and difficulties become clearer, which turns once stressful thoughts and worries into more productive, positive thoughts.
4. Enhances creativity. Journaling can also spark your creativity and imagination. When you journal, you remove the negative, unproductive pattern of thoughts by effectively sorting through your emotions, encouraging creative problem solving and leaving room for solutions.
5. Leads to a state of mindfulness. Journaling can also help lead you to a state of mindfulness. By writing and letting go of those past anxieties and worried thoughts, you bring more awareness to yourself in the present moment, and refocus your wandering thoughts.
6. Encourages healing. The emotional release that comes with journaling allows you to free yourself from the psychological entanglement of past hurts and trauma. Whether you’re going through a break-up, having a tough time at work, or coping with loss, journaling encourages healing on an emotional level.
7. Boosts self-confidence. Journaling, particularly about empowering moments and experiences, keeps the memory alive and well in your mind, thus reaffirming your confidence. So even when the slightest bit of self-doubt begins to creep in, reflecting on positive experiences will directly counteract your insecurities.
8. Leads to valuable self-discoveries. Perhaps one of the greatest outcomes of journaling is the ability to lead yourself to valuable self-discoveries. When you write and work through challenges, you learn more about the person you really are. Whether it’s discovering your fears, hopes, goals, or lifelong dreams, journaling is an incredible, insightful path that will lead you to greater self-understanding and personal growth.
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