Hello friends. In today’s post, I share the reasons i feel journaling is good self-care.
Disclaimer – As with all self-care advice: if you suffer severe trauma, PTSD or other mental health issues, please work with a professional. dealing with that is putting your mask on first.
It’s a fact that people learn and retain information better by taking a pen to paper. Want to learn more? check out this Scientific American article on the subject.
Why pen & paper
Digital journaling is not the same as taking a pen to paper and writing long hand for two reasons, IMHO. After working on a computer all day, I need a break from screens. When I’m journaling to counteract insomnia, a screen is the last thing I need.
My Top 3 reasons to Journal
- Get what I call the time loop of crap out of your head.
- Explore your thoughts and feelings in a safe place.
- Calm your nerves.
Let’s unpack those.
The time loop of crap
Everyone has bad days now and then. When you find yourself brooding over that stupid thing that happened, it can be a signal from your brain that someone walked all over one of your boundaries. journaling can help you find that boundary and work out how to deal with it next time it happens.
Whatever you call that nagging voice in your head latches onto that stuff and feeds it back to you. Letting it roll around in your head can keep you from getting to sleep And it certainly makes you crabby.
Explore all the feels
Our brains are amazing. At night it gives us coded messages in the form of dreams. during the day, it bubbles up a memory via your emotions. Getting it out on paper can help you identify triggers from the past and help you manage emotional outbursts on some unsuspecting soul.
Journaling is for you. There’s no need to share it with anyone.
Calming
You’ll know that you’ve got everything out of you head because you’ll feel at ease. Calm. relaxed. until the next stupid thing. which is why journaling is a good habit.
How to start: Shop your House
Start with what you already have: look around your house right now and you’ve probably got a blank or partially blank notebook and a pen. USE THAT.
It’s that simple.
Leave a Reply