Over ten years ago, I started running workshops on a Saturday afternoon on all sorts of topics from crystals to meditation to healthy eating behaviours.
In every single course I ran (and almost all of my courses since) I noticed myself saying this one line:
"Write it down, there's magic in writing!"
Sometimes, we need to hear something over and over in order for us to truly take it in and this was one of those things. So I started to write things down, buying countless notepads and journals to log a stream of my thoughts and ramblings. This has been my practice for over a decade now!
I have since journaled my way through grief, illness, gratitude, hope, anxiety, worrying and much more, to me it is one of my most trusted and powerful tools to help me make sense of my thoughts.
When we are struggling with life or when we want to change our mindset, thinking about it just is not enough, in fact thinking about it often makes us more confused! Journaling has been proven to help us in so many ways, here are five:
Reduces stress and anxiety. Journaling can help you process your thoughts and emotions, which can lead to a reduction in stress and anxiety. One study found that people who journaled for 20 minutes a day for 3-5 days a week experienced a significant decrease in stress levels.
Improves mental health. Journaling can help improve your mental health by increasing self-awareness, self-acceptance, and resilience. It can also help you cope with difficult emotions, such as grief, loss, and trauma.
Boosts creativity. Journaling can help you tap into your creativity by giving you a space to explore your thoughts and ideas. It can also help you come up with new solutions to problems.
Improves sleep quality. Journaling before bed can help you relax and clear your mind, which can lead to better sleep quality. One study found that people who journaled for 20 minutes before bed for 3 weeks experienced a significant improvement in their sleep quality.
Improves memory. Journaling can help improve your memory by helping you consolidate memories and make new connections between ideas. It can also help you remember important events and details.
At Beam, we are so passionate about the benefits of journaling, not only do we encourage our clients to do it, but we have now started to create dedicated journals to help guide them through their challenges.
You can journal on any notebook, but having a book which can inspire you and provoke you to think by asking questions is our personal favourite.
So what are you waiting for, get a pen and paper and let your thoughts flow onto the page now.
Find out more about our Journals here
