JOURNALING AND HEALTH BENEFITS

For every moment that you experience, you feel a different emotion, and you develop different thoughts which your mind catalogues as unique memories. Also, your body reacts to the emotions that you feel by responding to the level of stress or ease that you are experiencing. Every situation that you encounter in your life relates to your well-being. 

The action of writing your experiences, feelings, thoughts and reflections in a journal can add to your personal growth and even decode the mysteries of happiness. Furthermore, many studies reveal that writing is positively correlated with: healing chronic illnesses, reducing anxiety and depression, and treating stress and various disorders and addictions. For example, in a 1988 study led by psychologist, James W. Pennebaker, PhD and his colleagues asked 50 healthy undergraduate students to write about their traumatic experiences or superficial topics for four consecutive days. Six weeks after the writing exercise, students that wrote about their traumas experienced positive subjective well-being – better moods and fewer illnesses. ^*

EXPRESSIVE WRITING

Expressive writing can help you identify negative patterns in their day-to-day life, better cope with stress, gain personal insight and also to find meaning and greater life satisfaction. There isn’t a right or wrong way to journal. You simply just need to be open to the the process and write in whichever way or format that is best suited for you. Here are some ways that you can engage yourself in journaling on the daily:

Free-writing – begin to write about anything that comes to your mind and let your immediate thoughts guide you. You will be surprised at how reflective this is.

Randomized words – write down a few words on different pieces of paper and fold them up (or ask someone to come up with the words for you). Start by picking up one piece of paper to reveal the word, set a one-minute timer and write whatever comes to your mind. 

Repeat the steps for each word. At the end of this writing session, you may discover a certain thought pattern or a creative pastime developing.

Future self journaling – on every new moon or during a particular time of the month, make a journal entry from six months in to the future. This helps kickstart your visualization process and also helps you create intentions and goals for yourself. Also, you will be amazed to read your journal entries in the future to find out that you are living the life that you created on paper!

Short-story – write a short story or fairy tale – this can lead you into writing your life’s story in a creative way.

Gillie Bolton, a writer and researcher suggests writing for at least six minutes. Twenty minutes is ideal to get to the core of your self exploration. Regardless of the manner that you choose to write in, remember that you own this process. There are no rules of writing or organization that you need to follow. Just go with the flow.

UNCOVER YOUR HAPPINESS AND CREATE YOUR STORY

When you make journaling a daily habit, you end up becoming a researcher of your own self and a conscious creator of your future life. That’s right! You gain all control over the mood, the tone and the theme of the upcoming super hit series of your life! Once you grab a handle on journaling, be sure to include these elements into your writing practice:

1. Include your intentions. When you write down your intentions whether it be by goal-setting or creatively; you are actually developing a deeper belief within you about your abilities and you are more likely to take action.
2. Reflect. By writing about your thoughts and situations, you actually start to examine them objectively and uncover life lessons – an opportunity to grow.
3. Accept. Exercise self-compassion and accept the feelings and emotions that may flow out onto the paper.

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The post The Science of Writing: How Journaling Can Improve Your Health and Well-Being appeared first on Sherina Chandra.