4 Key benefits of journaling

One of the reasons I started to write my own journals was that I had bought so many in the past myself. It’s something I’ve been doing for some time now and is one of the 12 key habits that I included in my Happy Habits book. So, why am I such a big advocate of journaling? Well for me it’s combination of therapy and stress-reliever. There are my four key benefits of journaling

• Download and park your ideas
• As a form of self-expression
• As a form of therapy
• As a way to hold onto memories

1. Download and park your ideas I’m an ideas person and an idea can come to me at any time of day, so I always key a journal nearby to write down my ideas as they come to me. Writing the ideas down allows me to capture them but also to park them until I’m ready to work on them. I have so many ideas for challenges, journals, coaching and journaling cards, planners and trackers that I can get overwhelmed with what I perceive as my workload. Writing and parking them means that I haven’t lost them, but I can development them when I’m ready. 

2. As a form of self-expression

Some people express themselves through art. Some people can express themselves through music or dance. For me, and many others, writing is our creative outlet. Whilst I write non-fiction books, some people are able to create masterpieces using just words. Books have been a creative outlet for them and journaling alllows them to capture moments and stories that theythen go on to use.

3. As a form of therapy

When I lost my daughter to stillbirth, journaling for me then was a form of therapy. It allowed me to not just express what I was going through, but also use it as a form of therapy. The act of writing things down allows you time to think about what it is you’re trying to say, to process it and then release it. So whilst I still miss my little girl, I have been able to forgive myself for the things I wish I could have changed, and those people who might have made a difference but didn’t. When you write things down, you start to see the patterns of your own attitude, thoughts and behaviour. It is by working through these patterns that we have the opportunity to change them.

4. As a way to hold onto memories

I don’t know about you, but my memory isn’t the best so it’s essential to write things down when they happen. This allows you to write down your impressions of the events of the day, from your perspective. Many people in public life do this as a way of documenting the events of the day. They then use these as the starting point for their memoirs. Being able to look back on history and see your part in those events is one use of journals, but another is to capture those events for those unable to do so. You can now buy journals for new mums who capture the first few years of their childs life, so that they have a record of the key milestones. The mums can then share them with their child later on or even use them to advocate for their child if they notice things about their childs wellbeing that need to eb addressed. So that’s my 4 benefits of journaling. If you love journaling, what are the benefits that you’ve experienced? Let me know in the comments.