6 Amazing Benefits of Journaling

Perhaps you kept a diary in your young days. In fact, it might have been more than a mere recording of events. It was more like a journal where you wrote actively about your feelings, thoughts, and observations.

Then journaling and keeping a diary went out of fashion, so to speak. In recent times, journaling has made a comeback, and with good reason. Research has shown that journaling has surprising health benefits. Among other advantages, journaling improves your mood and helps you heal physically and emotionally.

What is journaling?

Journaling is keeping a record of your thoughts, feelings, and insights. It differs from diary keeping in that the latter is an objective recording of events, not influenced by feelings. A journal, on the other hand, offers you a chance to examine and reflect on ideas, feelings, and thoughts.

Journaling is open-ended and could trigger you to explore the psyche. It might help you get into the unconscious and subconscious minds and may improve your mental health. If you want to heal and reach higher levels of consciousness, then journaling is for you.

So, what are some of the recorded benefits of journaling?

1. Journaling can decrease anxiety and depression

In a 2006 study, scholars associated with the University of Texas at Austin, USA, indicated that journaling can lower the risk of depression among young adults.

Journaling allows you to jot down negative thoughts that accompany depression and anxiety. This gives you a different perspective on your situation and you can respond appropriately to your negative thoughts. "Are these thoughts true or false?" you can subsequently ask yourself.

In a study published online in 2018, Joshua M Smyth and others observed that after journaling, adults with high anxiety symptoms recorded fewer symptoms of depression. The study involved 70 adults with a variety of medical conditions and increased anxiety symptoms. Over 12 weeks, the participants wrote online for 15 minutes, three days a week.

After just one month of journaling, participants showed decreased levels of distress. The mental health of the participants continued to improve in the 12 weeks of journaling. The researchers were affiliated with the Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, USA.

2. Keeping a journal can aid in healing from trauma

Journaling, or expressive writing, helps people to express their feelings safely and honestly. Social scientists say this is especially useful for those who normally keep their thoughts and feelings bottled up.

Several studies point out that journaling can eliminate the problem of overthinking everything. Those who keep journals also reduce the number of doctor visits compared to those who don't write.

Journaling has been found to speed up recovery from psychiatric disorders. According to a 2002 investigation by scholars Provencher, Gregg, Mead, and Mueser, journaling helps to process repetitive, intrusive thoughts. The patient is then able to process and get rid of these thoughts.

3. Expressive writing can boost immunity

In a 2018 study titled "Emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing," scholars Baikie and Wilhelm report that journaling improves your immunity and lowers your blood pressure. It also leads to better liver and lung function. The study participants journaled for 20 minutes a day, three to five days a week.

Journaling allows you to jot down your emotions and feelings of anxiety. This in turn enables you to understand your emotions better and to think about your life more positively.

It follows then that when you have a more positive view of yourself, you are less likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. When anxious, you lower your body's immunity, inviting physical health problems.

Researchers James Pennebaker and Joshua Smyth – of the University of Texas at Austin, and Syracuse University, respectively – suggest that journaling can boost immunity in arthritis, asthma, and HIV/AIDS patients.

4. Journaling helps you to put things in perspective and cultivate an attitude of gratitude

Journaling enables you to focus and reflect on your blessings and the things working well in your life. This leads to gratitude, which increases optimism and positivity. When you are positive, you are more likely to make healthy choices in life, including embarking on exercise and eating a healthy diet. This in turn promotes well-being and happiness.

When you don't engage in expressive writing, it's easy to forget about all the good happening in your life. Writing it down boosts your self-esteem and promotes positivity. Issues become more manageable once you spell them out.

5. Writing improves your memory

When you record events, it helps you to remember and reflect on the details of the time. This way, you retain memories of the events longer than you would if you did not write them down.

Additionally, by reviewing past events as recorded in your journal, you may observe patterns in your behavior and that of others. You can then respond appropriately.

6. Expressive writing helps injuries heal faster

Researchers in a 2013 study in New Zealand showed that journaling helps seniors heal faster after surgery. For 20 minutes a day, three days in a row, 49 healthy 64 to 97-year-old adults recorded their daily activities or troubling incidents. After two weeks, to allow for recovery from the upsetting events, the participants had a biopsy on the arm.

The wound was photographed for 21 days to track its healing. On the 11th day, 76 percent of those who wrote about troubling incidents had healed, as opposed to 42 percent of those who wrote about their daily activities. The researchers concluded that writing about distressing events helps to unravel the events, and thus reduces stress.

Final thoughts

Journaling brings issues into perspective. It boosts your memory and helps you to fight challenges. It makes you appreciate the good in your life and brings you to a point of gratitude. It's certainly worth your time.