How Journalling Relieves Stress and Improves Mental Health

Did you know that keeping a journal is a scientifically proven way to manage stress and improve your mental health? In addition to being a tool for recording thoughts and memories, consistent journalling can be a cathartic experience to process ideas and release strong emotions.

Journalling (and keeping diaries or letters) is an ancient tradition, originating in tenth century Japan. The activity involves penning your thoughts, observations, and experiences in a notebook (every day, or when you feel the urge). Traditional journalling can mean writing with a pen or a pencil in a bound book or any clean sheet of paper. The medium is entirely up to you; The essence of the activity is to channel thoughts into healthy and creative outcomes and to take time to be in tune to your feelings.

How Journalling Helps

Devoting a few minutes or an hour per day for journalling can give your overall well-being a boost. Below are compelling reasons why recording thoughts, your day, and activities can be beneficial to your health:

• Stretches your IQ

Writing down what you’re thinking is one way to master your command of language; learning has a strong correlation with intelligence. By describing what you think and feel, you may improve brain power. When writing, you increase your vocabulary by thinking of new words and their corresponding meanings.

• Develops mindfulness

When you listen to innermost thoughts and feelings, identify what causes frustrations, and see what makes you anxious, you can develop something called “mindfulness.” Journalling moves your passive mind to deep thought, and trains your brain to be present in the moment.

• Helps track and achieve goals

Scribbling life’s dreams and aspirations and plansis like designing a house’s blueprint. Writing down goals signals the brain that what you’re putting on paper is urgent and important. Elaborating goals and recording them help encode them to your brain, enhancing retention and the likelihood of achieving those goals.

• Boosts emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence (the ability to perceive and process your own emotions and that of others) is developed when you commit to regular journalling. Take the time to understand your emotions and their causes to widen your self-awareness and empathy.

• Enforces self-discipline

Making time to write is an act of self-discipline. Like a muscle, the more you train and exercise your ability to journal, the stronger it gets. This discipline can trickle down to developing other healthy habits. These might include: waking up early (to start journalling right away) and making intentional use of your time.

• Heals

Writing for self-expression is one way to heal emotionally, physically and psychologically. Translating a memory into language can help you understand an experience. Anxiety, stress, and better sleep may result from journalling.

Journalling takes one step at a time; it’s not something that comes easily to everyone. Try writing about five minutes daily and increase the time gradually. Consistency and patience help us form new habits.

Wendy Limarzi’s Depression and Relationship Counselling Services offers caring assessment and treatment. To learn more about counselling and other services in Windsor, ON,  please call (519) 253-1519 or share any questions you may have on this form.