The Healing Power of Daily Journaling

Karissa opened up the drawer in the bedside table her mother used every day, before her recent death. This intimate space is where beloved books, hand-written cards, cups of tea, and in Karissa’s mother’s instance – a journal, reside. Karissa observed her mother writing in the dark blue leather-bound book most evenings. Karissa asked her mother once “what are you writing about?” Her mother had turned to her, eyes shining in a smile, and told her daughter “I write about the beautiful times in my life. And I write about the hard things that need some breathing room.” What were those hard things, Karissa wondered? She took the journal, sitting in her mother’s chair by the window, and opened up to the first page.

Journaling is a habit that many people find rewarding. Through the ages, writers and artists especially have described the benefit of journaling for their creative expression. But you don’t have to call yourself a writer to experience the abundant life waiting to be lived on the page. 

Life is a journey, and a journal is a travelog 

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives,” said author Annie Dillard. So how do we spend our days? And how does our day-to-day life make us feel? Do we have time to think about it? These questions are often the jumping-off point for individuals in search of meaning and a way to dig deeper into ourselves by recording our life journey.

Writing helps to relieve stress & solve problems

The article 5 Benefits of Journaling for Mental Health in PositivePsychology.com points out that the healing side effects of journaling are well-known to mental health professionals. Journaling is commonly used for counseling and treating clients. Writing expressively in a journal helps individuals to focus on the emotional experience of past events, and to get to the heart of what is causing them pain.

Journaling has been shown to reduce anxiety, by helping the writer to break out of the ongoing narrative of their lives and help them to stop brooding about events. Journaling externalizes emotions and improves self-awareness. A 2019 Psychology Today Canada article Journaling for Health discusses how journaling helps to track our emotional responses. By identifying the “negative thoughts and behaviors,” journaling allows individuals to be more in control of how they respond to negativity and stress.

Journaling also opens up a window into examining our behavior patterns. Since most of our lives are focused on solving individual problems, it can be difficult to actually see patterns emerge in our lives. Larger themes emerge from journaling, which can lead to major emotional breakthroughs, and the opportunity to make positive life changes.

Journaling benefits physical and cognitive well-being

A habit of journaling has been found to produce a wide range of benefits to an individual’s physical well-being, cognitive functions, and emotional health. The PositivePsychology.com article states that self-reported benefits of journaling include better moods, less time spent in the hospital, lowered blood pressure, and improved liver and lung function.

Since stress, anxiety, grief, and other unprocessed emotions are linked to disease and disorders of all kinds, having a healthy emotional state will boost physical health as well. Creating a habit of journaling often encourages other healthy habits as well, such as physical activity, a healthy diet, good sleep, and socialization. Healthy habits can be a focus of journaling as well, such as a food journal or a physical activity journal.

How to start a journal

There are a myriad of potential styles of journaling – including keeping notes on a computer. Many people, however, prefer to write by hand with a simple notebook and a pen, a Moleskine notebook, or a specialty-made journal. Themed journals can be found in bookstores and in many spaces online.

Before you start journaling, consider starting with a few prompts, asking yourself:

• “What do I want to get out of journaling?”

• “In 30 days, what do I want to re-read?”

• “How often do I want to journal? How can I keep myself accountable?”

While writing, don’t worry about editing. This space is just for you, and what you write doesn’t need to be perfect. Try creating a habit of journaling every day for 30 days. At the end of the month, re-read what you’ve written, and consider how your mindset may have shifted over the days.

Types of journaling

Though many people enjoy journaling without any specific theme, some prefer to have guided journaling. Here are just a few ideas:

• Gratitude journal: What are you grateful for in life? What brings you joy, good health, and positive interactions? Write it down once or twice per day.
  
  
• Night journal: Every night before you go to bed, open up your journal and write down the thoughts that are ruminating throughout your mind. Keep the journal close to your bed where you can record dreams.
  
  
• Morning Pages: From The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, this style of writing opens up creativity and gets the mind flowing first thing in the morning.
  
  
• Mental Health-focused journal: It’s like therapy but with yourself! Get out all of your fears, and anxieties, and name what is blocking you. Truth leads to freedom.

Closing the journal, Karissa rose from her mother’s chair. That evening, she read several entries from her mother’s final year on Earth. It was incredible for Karissa to learn how much she didn’t know about her mother, and how much more vulnerable she was than her daughter ever knew. Reading her words made Karissa feel connected to her again, and in her deep grief, Karissa knew that she needed an emotional outlet as well. Tomorrow, Karissa plans to buy herself a journal and get to writing.