Wellness Tips
Journaling to Improve Wellness
Journal writing has been around for hundreds of years. According to the www.scrivener.com modern journal writing dates back to fifteenth century Italy. Since that time journals have been used to encourage creative thinking, record historic events, for professional development purposes and as a way of helping with personal growth and wellness.
Now there is increasing evidence that journal writing benefits not only our mental health but our physical well-being as well. In fact, journaling is now the focus of research in the following areas:
- Decreasing stress
- Improving the body’s immunity
- Reducing anxiety and depression
- Help manage chronic pain
- Improve sleep
What is Journaling?
What is journal writing and how does it work? Journaling is about stopping to reflect on our lives. Reflection encourages us to look back on, think critically about, and learn from our experiences. A journal is a private place to explore our thoughts and feelings.
How to Get Started
Although there are no hard and fast rules for journaling, you may find it beneficial to spend 15 to 20 minutes a day with your journal.
You can time yourself and write without stopping for 15 minutes. I prefer writing in a note book but you may want to try one of the many journaling apps that are now available. I also like to use a writing prompt such as a question. For more ideas and prompts check out http://www.jackeeholder.com
When to Journal?
I often start my day by writing the answers to the following questions in my journal:
- How is my energy level?
- What am I looking forward to today?
- What am I procrastinating about and trying to avoid? Why is that?
- What will success look like for me today?
- Why am I writing and who will benefit?
An interesting note from Jackee Holder: Research found that when women write down 3 good things that happened in their day, their productivity improved and I’m certain that this also applies to men.