Sadly, a quite outdated stereotype still hangs around the hobby or journaling, with many believing its only for teenage girls with pink diaries. However, more and more evidence emerges every year that a journaling habit can change your life. From reducing stress to boosting memory, there are plenty of reasons to start journaling today!
The Benefits Of Journaling
There are plenty of incredible benefits to gain from journaling. Of course, first and foremost, it provides a record of one’s experiences and day-to-day life. You can immediately start to see where you waste time in your schedule and what activities consistently drain you. Meanwhile, journaling has been shown to reduce stress in the same way that mediation does. Putting one’s feelings down on paper creates a unique atmosphere that pushes the author to understand what brought them about. Meanwhile, believe it or not, those who journal have been found to have lower blood pressure and improved liver functionality. So journaling every day is quite literally good for you!
However, as one might expect, journaling can also help improve one’s brain function. By going over what happened in days previous, you train your brain to record and store more information, improving your memory and cognitive processing.
So, the benefits of journaling have convinced you to start. What type of journaling is best for you? Find out…
Pick Your Type of Journaling
In case you didn’t know, there are various types of journaling. Each style will suit a different person best. If a couple of variations call out to you, try one for a month or so and then move on until you find what works best. Likewise, if you ever find yourself in a journaling rut, changing styles can bring a breath of fresh air to the hobby. It can also push one’s writing skills to new bounds!
Just some of the types of journaling include:
- Long-Form Journaling: Long-form journaling is likely the type of journaling you’re most familiar with. At the end of the day, open up your journal, and record everything you remember about the day. Some like to give themselves a time-limit, making sure they only take down the highlights, while others continue until they feel the need to stop. Not only can long-form journaling boost your mental and physical health, its a great way to unload before heading off to bed.
- Bullet Note Journaling: If you’re someone who wants to turn to journaling to help you save time, this is the type of journaling for you. Bullet note journaling can take many forms: plotting out your day beforehand and noting down where you deviate from the schedule, write down each task as you do it, the list does on. At the end of the day, many color-code their bullet note journals to visualize where their day went.
- Gratitude Journaling: A method of journaling that has become quite popular recently, gratitude journaling is like long-form journaling, but you focus on the things that you are grateful for. Regularly feeling gratitude has been shown to lower stress and boost energy, so combining it with journaling is a no-brainer!
Just Start Writing
The final step? Simply start writing. Focus on the day and the task at hand, blocking out all else, and noting down anything that seems important. As many journalers say, start with the big picture and then focus in on the little details. Always explain why you felt a certain way as well, so when you return, you do not need to question the genesis of the emotion.
Always write as though no one’s looking. After all, no one should be! No one will judge your style or errors, so be free. With a journaling habit, anyone can feel better about themselves and become a whole lot healthier!