6 Surprising Health Benefits of Journaling That You Never Knew

This article was written by Sara from Jofelo.com 

Keeping a diary used to be something that we did as kids or as teenagers. We wrote down all our angry thoughts about our parents and doodled that boys name on all the pages, then stuffed them under our pillow in the golden hiding spot. As we aged, many of us stopped writing, believing that it wasn’t something you did as an adult, but science is saying much to the opposite effect.

This article is going to look at some of the many benefits there are for journaling. Perhaps you’ll even be dusting off your own journal or get one my favorites, a new Jofelo journal by the end.

6 Surprising Benefits of Journaling

1. Goal Orientation

Journals are a great place to keep track of goals and dreams that we want to accomplish, and by writing about them more often we are more likely to hold ourselves accountable. Journaling brings these things to the forefront of our minds and gives us a type of motivation to keep working on them. Furthermore, you are able to track your progress each day as you work closer towards your goal. You’ll also have a space to reflect on your progress once you’ve finished. This can help make us more driven and ambitious, getting us up off the couch and out of the house to a healthier lifestyle.

2. Improved Communication Skills

I know that I am definitely an introvert, and as a mom on top of that, I know that I don’t have nearly enough conversations with adults as what I probably should. I don’t want my conversational skills to be lacking on the off chance that I do encounter an adult someday, and journaling is a great way to help with that. As you practice writing each day you are slowly gaining skills in how to appropriately string words together and make the sentences sound appropriate. This is a skill that will help you in many aspects of your life.

3. Enhanced Memory Ability

Writing down moments from your day, even if it’s only a sentence or two each night, can help you remember things easier and faster. This will continue as you age and can help prevent memory decline. Journaling can also help you remember and appreciate the smaller things in life. This can help improve your mood if you end the day thinking that it was a total failure and then realize as you journal that there’s actually quite a bit to be thankful for.

4. Increased Happiness and Self-Confidence

Journaling can significantly impact your emotional health. You are able to process through events and find closure in some aspect. You are also able to celebrate the small successes in your life, which can help increase your happiness level. It can also help to reinforce self-confidence as you work through things and accomplish the goals you set for yourself. This mood booster can carry over and provide you with an increased outlook on life, improve signs of depression, and provide you with a sense of security in yourself.

5. Sleep Aid

Processing through the stress of the day by writing in a journal can serve as an informal type of therapy for yourself. The anxiety about things that need to get done tomorrow and the worries about whether you handled a situation a certain way can be worked through and provide you with a feeling of calm before you go to bed. This will, in turn, help you get to sleep quicker and sleep more soundly throughout the night.

6. Heart Rate Effects

As you practice writing in a journal more often, there’s the potential that it can start impacting more than just your mental and emotional health. You might also see signs of your physical health improving in ways like a decreased heart rate and lowered blood pressure. The impact may not be significant, but if you are highly stressed or anxious and are starting to manage those behaviors than a large decrease is definitely possible. You may also become more motivated and can set goals to drink more water or exercise more, which can tie into weight loss.

As you can see, there are many positive aspects to your health that are related to journaling. The impacts on your mental and emotional health can be huge, especially if you stay consistent and continue to write each day. Your posts don’t necessarily need to be long; just long enough to say a few things about your day. The results are sure to follow in no time.

Do you keep a journal? How does it help you? 

If you enjoyed reading this article, you might also like:

• Writing Your Way to a Happy & Healthy 2017 
• 8 Genuine Ways to Practice Gratitude When You Don’t Feel Like It
• The Happy List: 31 Ideas to Sprinkle Simple Pleasures Throughout Your Day