5 Powerful Health Benefits of Journaling

Posted on the 2nd of August, 2022

Writing to Better Health

At the very least, you’ve got haunting images of sticker-covered notebooks filled with your childhood day-to-day recitations dancing in your head. Or perhaps you were more of the lock-and-key-type, burying diaries you hoped your siblings would never find. Either way, you might have a love-hate relationship with keeping a journal.

Well, journaling is no longer old-fashioned, or just for people of a certain older-and-wiser age. It’s something you need to do NOW. Yep, it’s true. Journaling does more than just help you record your memories or find self-expression. It’s good for your health.

What are some of the short + long-term health benefits of putting pen to paper? Here are five good-for-you virtues of journaling:

1- Reduces Stress. An overabundance of stress can be damaging to your physical, mental, + emotional health. It’s proven. Journaling is an incredible stress management tool, a good-for-you habit that lessens impact of physical stressors on your health. In fact, a study showed that expressive writing (like journaling) for only 15 to 20 minutes a day three to five times over the course of a four-month period was enough to lower blood pressure and improve liver functionality. Plus, writing about stressful experiences can help you manage them in a healthy way. Try establishing journaling as a great wake up routine + a pre-bedtime meditation habit to help you unwind + de-stress.

2- Improves Immune Function. Believe it or not, expressive writing can strengthen your immunity and decrease your risk of illness. Those who journal boast improved immune system functioning (it strengthens immune cells!) as well as lessened symptoms of asthma + rheumatoid arthritis. Expressive writing has been shown to improve liver and lung function and combat certain diseases; it has even been reported to help the wounded heal faster.

3- Keeps Memory Sharp. Journaling helps keep your brain in tip-top shape. Not only does it boost memory + comprehension, it also increases working memory capacity, which may reflect improved cognitive processing.

4- Boosts Mood. Want more sunshine + magic in your life? Try journaling. A unique social + behaviour outcome of journaling is this: it can improve your mood + give you a greater sense of overall emotional well-being + happiness.

5- Strengthens Emotional Functions. Related to mood is how journaling benefits overall emotional health: As journaling habits are developed, benefits become long-term, meaning that diarists become more in tune with their health by connecting with inner needs + desires. Journaling evokes mindfulness + helps writers remain present while keeping perspective. It presents an opportunity for emotional catharsis + helps the brain regulate emotions. It provides a greater sense of confidence + self-identity. Journaling can help in the management of personal adversity + change, + emphasize important patterns and growth in life. Research even shows that expressive writing can help individuals develop more structured, adaptive, and integrated schemes about themselves, others + the world. What’s more, journaling unlocks + engages right-brained creativity, which gives you access to your full brainpower. Truly, journaling manifests growth.

So, great. You get it: Journaling is good for you — physically, mentally, and emotionally. But what if, like many of us, you find yourself stuck, staring fruitlessly at a blank page? Well first, ditch the guilt of not being consistent or instantly motivated. Simply start where you are. The Journal happy mind, happy soul I have created helps you with tools in place to guide you. If you need to initially just write a single intention or one gratitude - that's ok, just do it. Don’t preoccupy yourself with managing perfect punctuation, grammar or spelling. Just write + don’t censor yourself. This is for you. Remember: Only you have the control, if you just start, that's one step closer to a happy mind, happy soul! 

Go ahead, order this magical journal + start up leveling your life, YOU FREAKING DESERVE IT! Set aside a dedicated space + time for journaling.

Our lesson? If you’re looking to better your health and well-being, keep a journal.

Original article: 5 Powerful Health Benefits of Journaling

Edited + adapted by The Journal doll