Imagine being in your head about every waking detail of your life without an outlet. I’m sure you don’t have to imagine much; a majority of the world holds many thoughts, ideas, dreams, and wishes inside our minds. It can drive you mad if you think about it. Why do we put ourselves through so much agony? We have all the tools needed to release our emotions and feelings without going through the motions of depression or insensitive outbursts. There are many benefits of journaling that we all can benefit from daily. For most people writing in a journal sounds like something a teenage girl will do or doesn’t sound fun. I’m here to tell you there is something magical about journaling and self-expression. I’ll give you insight into how journaling has saved my life, how I decided to recreate and dedicate my brand to journaling and how you can benefit from this small dedication in your everyday life.

We all have tower moments in life, although we may call them different names; crisis, upheaval, mess, dilemma; the list goes on. Recording significant moments or daily memories can be reflected in later lessons and blessings. It may not seem like it at first, but looking back, you’ll see the growth.

I recognized in my early twenties that shifts and experiences were coming my way that I wouldn’t know how to navigate in such a youthful stage. I was right. By the time my mid to late twenties arrived, I had gone through broken friendships and broken family bonds, and my romantic life was not raining flowers. At one point, I looked around and saw my life completely different from any way I had thought it to be previously. I felt like I was losing at everything and my body’s mobility became compromised, all while studying for my Master’s. I became conscious of the understanding that I had to do better in my life starting within. But how do I do that? Three things I discovered helped; yoga, meditation, and journaling. If I had to choose, I would say journaling was the most difficult for me to be consistent. Who wants to write without being instructed? My fingers cramp, my wrist hurts, and the little pressure point on the side of my finger is indented. Luckily, even with those growing pains, the urge to get back into writing had already gotten to me.
I was not interested in writing about things I wasn’t happy about, but I had to let it out. It was consuming my mind.

I now have an overflowing collection of journals. It took going through cycles of facing what I wrote; writing about a traumatic experience would force me to go through those emotions as if it just occurred, except I would have gained consciousness of the bigger picture. I would begin to connect how one event led to another and how I needed to experience certain things for growth and wisdom. I was living in a depressed state without realizing it; I was naive to my reality because of built-up resentment, I had no idea of. Shadow work? Is that what I am doing? Unintentionally I began to heal myself from negative thoughts, experiences, and ideologies I had about myself. There are many forms of journaling; for instance, you can journal about the present day, which may bring about different emotions than the past. On my journaling journey, I discovered I had a lot to get off my chest, and after a daily entry, I would feel better immediately after. No matter how many days between, I made a point to go to my journal to help clear my mind. With depression, there were times that I felt too down to open my journal and too weak to pick up a pen. The most rewarding feeling is getting out of your emotions and being able to analyze and help yourself. It is always a choice despite the feat. Journaling saved me from a path that wasn’t my beat.

Top 3 Essential Benefits of Journaling

1. Relieving stress
2. Recognizing patterns
3. Processing your emotions

Relieving Stress

Relax your shoulders and remove your tongue from the roof of your mouth; Take a deep breath in and out three times; are you relaxed? Start with reliving stress and recognize that we experience some form of stress more often than not. It is imperative to know techniques to help control your stress reaction. Think of your encounters throughout the day and how they may impact you. Today when leaving the store, an older man at checkout behaving impatiently, overbearing, and rude towards the employees was enough to trigger you into an anxious wreck and timid with the public for the rest of your outing. In a time like this, feel free to pull out your journal upon arriving home and reflect on how the moment made you feel. Why do you think he reacted how he did? What did you notice about the worker’s response, and how did you instantly think? How did you respond and others around you? These questions will help you process and understand yourself in those settings.

There are times when nothing around us is stressful, but inside our minds, there are a million taxing thoughts. Those thoughts can range from planning a wedding, what to feed the kids for dinner, or how you’re going to afford this month’s bills. At that moment, you may find yourself clinching your jaw or tensing your shoulders to your ears. All three tasks can be less stressful if you keep notes or an organizer. Journaling is another way to stay organized; everything doesn’t have to be an in-depth journal entry. You can jot down your grocery list, monthly expenses, and wedding to-do’s to help alleviate tension. An essential skill to obtain is clarity of mind. Being transparent with your thoughts and intentions allows you to get to know and understand the self better. You will be able to track what is a priority and avoid distractions. Writing, in general, helps you gain happiness, improves memory function, and ignites more gratitude.

Recognizing Patterns

Patterns can be good or bad, depending on their result. Your patterns are the foundation of the structure of your life. The saying that says; a person who repeats the same behavior repeatedly and expects different results is the epitome of insanity. This idea is utterly accurate. In life, we tire ourselves out by being fearful of trying anything new, yet we crave better results from our actions each time. After time passes, this can become exhausting, but how do we change our behavior? Record it. Study your habits and write how you desire to improve. Journal prominent times in your day-to-day life such as encounters with your significant other, fueds with your family, or anytime you face conflict. As you encounter these situations, examine your character, thoughts, words, and actions, and be honest about how you can improve.

To create a solid structure, you must develop better habits and gain awareness. If you’re not going, to be honest with yourself, how can you expect anyone else to give you that courtesy? You should know how you act before anyone else, whether in happy, painful, or tragic times. Learning your urges to be a know-it-all, smart-alec, over-obsessive, or plain-out rude is encouraged through journaling. Understanding all sides of what makes you who you are is the least you can do to maintain healthy and happy relationships. Through journaling, you can grow your self-awareness and correct habits that may be harmful to you. You can also take notice of the good practices and use those as reminders to stay true to yourself.

Processing Emotions

There isn’t anyone who loves everything there is about emotions. It’s the number one separation between men and women. Emotions will take you to the highest mountain peak or the lowest pit without warning or remorse. Leaving feelings bottled up can cause those experiences to be left stored in the brain and body, affecting your muscles, organs, tissues, and memory. Usually, the recovery from intense emotions can feel draining, but with help from expressive writing, you can process your emotions more effectively, leaving you feeling rejuvenated. On a grand scope, we are writing in our journals seeking healing and protection; however, that is precisely what journaling does as we express our emotions. To heal and protect us from trauma, distress, high blood pressure, and more immunity attacks on the body physically and mentally.

Handling significant relationships can be an emotional task. Typically we are affected by our close loved ones and friends, and what they are going through can quickly become a part of our lives. Platonic relationships, parental relationships, and work partnerships can all affect us just by being a part of the union. Numerous types of journals provide specific prompts to help tackle particular emotions. Questions like the ones below will give you an idea of emotions through prompted questions.

1. Do you feel especially sensitive to negative experiences? Why or why not?
2. Do you tend to ruminate or dwell on negative experiences?
3. Do you think that your emotions are usually appropriate? 
4. What can you do to accept a negative experience and move on from it?

You can find more questions here.

To unpack through expressive writing means to face your rollercoaster of thoughts and feelings in a non-critical way. Ask the tough questions, yet answer honestly and gracefully because it is never a bashing session. Comparing or praising heroes and acknowledging villains in your writing is not always necessary. The more you focus on healing, the easier it is to assess your emotions and create solutions. Problem-solving and decision-making are two ultimate successors of journaling and put you on the right path to healing. 

Who wants a life full of unwritten memories, ideologies, or teachings? Even when people claim they are fine or okay, we all know something is on their minds. If sharing with the person beside you is too much of a hassle or fright, then share with yourself. It’s not like you don’t already know your story. So many of us want to change our lives, but we need to take advantage of the essential tools provided to us, a pen, paper, and a mind to dive in. When I was lost and had no outlet, I picked up a pen, rewrote my life as I desired, and released what no longer fueled me. It would be best to do the same because your life depends on it.