Do you want a powerful tool to cope with your mental health issues? If yes, journaling might be the best option. Journaling is more than merely writing down your routine in a diary. It is an act of keeping a record of your deepest thoughts and feelings to label your emotions and understand them clearly. Journaling provides countless benefits, especially when it comes to your mental health.
That’s why this article is about four pronounced benefits of journaling that manifest how journaling helps your mental health.
1.Helps reduce your stress
Writing down your feelings and thoughts is an excellent strategy to reduce stress. Journaling acts as a valve that can help you release your negative thoughts and recognize the triggers. Through writing, you can quickly identify stressors that may not be readily apparent and figure out ways to deal with them.
Experts at Harvard Medical School found that expressive writing can help people reduce stress and anxiety and improve mental well-being.
2. You can better organize your thoughts
If you have a diverted mind with lots of negative and irrelevant thoughts floating around in it, you may struggle in every field of life. However, if you write down all your thoughts and think about them, you may be able to get organized mentally and emotionally. Therefore, to get rid of all confusion in your mind and to manage your thoughts, write them in your journal and assemble them according to your priorities. This will help you reframe your problems and solve them effectively.
You can also better understand all upcoming challenges you might be facing. According to research by the American Psychological Association, expressive writing reduces intrusive thoughts about an adverse event and helps simplify fragmented memories.
3. Best tool for self-discovery
Self-discovery is the foundation of self-growth. It helps you recognize your true potential, weaknesses, and needs. Self-discovery brings an irreplaceable awareness to your life; that's why it is crucial. One of the practical tools for self-discovery is journaling.
Journaling helps improve your self-reflection power, which means your ability to see your achievements and failures. When you turn to write a journal and express your thoughts, you understand your problem and identify your strengths to deal with it. This boosts your confidence and leads you towards self-awareness and self-healing.
4.Improves your emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, manage and use your emotions positively. People with low emotional intelligence often struggle with their feelings. They often experience unexpected and uncontrollable emotional outbursts but journaling has got your back as it can help improve your emotional intelligence.
Journaling helps you control your emotions and gives you an excellent opportunity for catharsis.
One study reports that people who engage in expressive writing have higher scores of emotional intelligence than those who don't write, which shows that journaling improves your emotional intelligence.
The bottom line:
Mental health is one of the major concerns of this century. Thankfully, journaling serves as an effective wellness tool that assures you of good mental health.
Journaling helps reduce stress, organizes your thoughts, promotes self-awareness, and improves your emotional intelligence. It also enables you to simplify and deal with the most critical situations of your life. So just find a notebook, write down your thoughts regularly and see how your mental health improves!