The benefits of journaling and making a start! 📚🙏

What is journaling?

Journaling is the practice of writing in a diary or journal about the thoughts, feelings and physical sensations. The dictionary definition of journalling is ‘the practice of keeping a journal or diary, in order to express one's thoughts and feelings in connection with life events”.

What are the benefits?

The benefits of journaling have been cited in more recent literature within the field of psychology. Research is continuing to emerge but the benefits in studies are well documented.

Read on to find out more about journalling and how it can help your wellbeing!

-Journaling can reduce stress.

By focusing in on what we are grateful for and taking a step away from situations, helps to find perspective and create some space to reflect, process and think about what have been or what are our triggers for overwhelm and stress.

-Journaling can reduce anxiety

When we are anxious our brain is very good at catastrophising – writing it down helps us to take a step away from those thoughts allows us to choose whether we believe them or not. In other words, if your thoughts aren’t serving you or are not helpful, you don’t have to believe them. Instead, you can use journaling to see your thoughts as separate from you.

(The Happiness Trap is a good read on this)

-Journaling can help us to process and understand our emotions

It can help us to process what we are feeling both physically and emotionally in order to understand why we react the way we do. Perhaps a certain situation, thought or feeling keeps reoccurring for you. Journalling helps us to identify these patterns with thoughts and emotions in order to begin to make positive changes.

-Journaling can help us to set boundaries and help us to make progress

Journalling encourages us to see what’s working well within life and what’s not in order to help plan our goals for the future. This may be short or long term and both personally and professionally (I try to do this at the start of each month to see what went well and what didn't!)

How do I get started?

What I love about journaling is that it is so easy to get started! All you need is pen, paper and 5 minutes. If you are not sure what to write at the beginning, keep it short and consistent, writing about what you’ve been doing in your day and how you’re feeling.

-Try not to overthink it – it really doesn’t have to make perfect sense as it’s just for you!

-Don’t worry about spelling mistakes just simply let the words come onto paper straight from your mind!

-Getting into a routine with it helps- I keep it by my bed so that it reminds me to do it before I sleep each day. Otherwise, use it when you feel you need to - whatever helps!

Journal prompts

If you are unsure about getting started journaling prompts can be helpful. Here’s a few to try – grab a pen and paper and get going! (Starting is often the hardest part!)

-How am I feeling today? (This may be one word or a sentence – go with whatever comes up for you instinctively)

-What do I need more of in my life?

-What do I need less of in my life?

-What am I thankful for today?

-Over the next month what do I want to focus on to help my wellbeing?

Want to learn more and discover the benefits for yourself?

Join me in my Spring Wellness Workshop 🌷🌸🌼

Come and join me as I guide you through a mini journaling practice to allow you set focus your mind and energy on what you want to achieve as we welcome in Spring and set intentions for the rest of the year. As well as journaling, I will be guiding you through an evening of candle lit yang to yin yoga practice, and finishing with an extended guided relaxation to completely unwind and relax.

My Spring Spring Wellness Workshop is running on:

Friday 14th April

6-8pm

at Blakedown Parish Rooms

Blakedown, Kidderminster, DY10 3JG

Early bird price of £19 until 1st April

Book online for the workshop here

Want to join my workshop and attend your normal yoga classes?

Book my ‘Spring package’ – 4 face to face classes at Wolverley or Blakedown plus Spring Workshop (takes cost of workshop to £17).

Book as part of a package with yoga classes here

Further reading/resources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6305886/

https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-journaling/

The Wellbeing Journal - by MIND is a nice starting point for getting pen to paper!