5 Beautiful Benefits of Journaling Daily
One of my favourite self-care practises is journaling, but it wasn't always.
When I first started keeping a journal it felt exciting at first, the beautiful stationary, the thought of becoming a better version of myself, all felt really good. But it quickly became monotonous.
Maybe you've experienced this too? You see someone writing in their beautiful journal and then you go pick up one for yourself at the store, only to write for a few days or weeks and then randomly stop and leave the journal in a corner somewhere forgotten about. It got dull, and "you're just not the writing type".
That was my experience, and I realized I didn't want to write 10 affirmations a day, and then 10 things I was grateful for, followed by my goals, or any other sort of repetitive journaling practise.
I'm not saying these aren't great practises, nor am I saying they don't work. They really do work when you love doing it, and they also help so many people start writing.
If these practises work for you keep doing them!
However, if you find yourself in a continual loop of picking up a new journal only to barely fill it in and then leave it to collect dust, or you've always been curious about keeping a journal but don't know where to start, I'm sharing my daily journaling practise and all of its benefits on here with you!
I got pretty bored of writing down affirmations, and counting blessings each morning. So I don't do that unless I am feeling inspired to do so. I would describe my journaling as closer to keeping a diary, but with a few major twists. These are the benefits I have noticed from having a journaling practise that was built for me, and how you can create a journaling practise that has the same effect for you.
THE BEAUTIFUL BENEFITS:
Self-Awareness
Gratitude
Stress Relief
Grounding
Activates Creativity
THE PROCESS:
I have time set aside in the morning specifically to write in my journal. It is part of my early morning routine, that is an hour long dedicated to me with no distractions (cell phones).
I only write for about 10 minutes each day, unless something is happening in my life that requires more writing/time.
I make a cup of coffee and sit down on my couch to start writing.
This is IMPORTANT. The first two pages of every journal I own are dedicated to the goals I have for the year and the person I am striving to be. They are the vision I have of myself and also a guide for me. And I re-write and edit these pages as I please.
I look at these pages every day instead of writing affirmations, because this is the vision of the person I want to be every single day.
As for the daily writing, I simply just start writing whatever comes to mind first.
One of the biggest rules I have for myself is I only write about the present moment (what I am thinking and feeling) or what I am looking forward too.
I do not write about what happened yesterday, or last week. I write about those things on those days, and don't bring them into the next day with me.
For example if I had a bad sleep and am feeling a little bit off I will start writing about how I am feeling and what I am thinking that is keeping me in that feeling.
From there I will just keep writing until I get it all out of my system and onto the paper. Usually when I start writing it instead of just thinking it, it becomes almost like a conversation where I can really hear myself and so I become more self-aware.
1. Self Awareness.
This first benefit is life changing. The difference in being aware of your thoughts in your head versus writing them onto paper and physically seeing them is amazing.
Right away I can see that my thoughts are not aligned with who I want to be (first two pages) and as I keep writing I can see the root of the problem or the main underlying thought, which is usually one thought that is telling me to "give up because my day has already started off badly".
From there I will literally write my way through the problem to the solution. Once I know the underlying thought it is so much easier to dismantle it and move into new thoughts that are aligned with how I really want my day to go. By the way this feels incredibly productive!
2. Gratitude.
I hardly ever count my blessings or write out 10 things I am grateful for anymore.
Instead at the end of each entry I almost always think of something I love, or am really grateful for in that moment. It comes more naturally and feels more authentic.
There are days where I am feeling incredibly grateful where I fill pages with things I am grateful for, but it doesn't come from a place of " I should be writing out what I am grateful for today. ". OR there are days when I am not feeling great and know that if I pick one or two things that I love, to write about I will feel a little better.
Something that doesn't change is my gratitude for how writing has changed my life and continues to help me, so at the end of every entry I write "Thank You" as a way of appreciating what writing does for me, and also to thank myself for taking the time to do this for myself.
3. Stress Relief.
This benefit kind of goes hand in hand with self awareness in the sense that seeing my thoughts instead of keeping them in my head is relieving. It feels like taking out the trash.
However, the physical act of writing is also calming for me. Because I am simply enjoying a cup of coffee, cozy on my couch in the morning, with a beautiful felt pen in my hand writing away, I feel at ease and relaxed.
4. Grounding.
This one ties into the stress relief. Writing for me is incredibly grounding because it is a physical process and it requires focus.
Writing whatever I am thinking and feeling in the moment helps me come back to myself, repeatedly. It pulls my focus back inwards and helps me start my day feeling like myself.
5. Activates Creative.
I will be writing about how grateful I am for my cat, and then move into what I am looking forward to that day, to all of sudden being inspired to start a podcast! (Literally went from writing about being excited for what this year holds, too "I'm going to start a podcast!" and started writing out my very first episode.).
The fun part is that I got to be really creative with it, because I don't have to actually create a podcast, I just had an incredible moment of feeling inspired and got to be my complete self in my journal. However, I am way too excited about it and the podcast will be real!
Writing when done in a free flowing manner like this makes me think differently and opens me up. Anything could come out of my brain and onto the page at any moment, and I love that.
I love that over time I have felt myself become more and more creative because it is a safe space for me to be exactly who I am!
Keeping a journal helps me expand on ideas, desires, and goals in ways just thinking about those things could never do, and is why I think writing is for anyone who wants to get to know themselves better, and become the best version of them self.
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The number 1 rule is to write whatever your heart desires. There doesn't have to be a process or a format. All you need is yourself, a beautiful journal, some colourful pens, and a willingness to put pen to paper. You'll find your writing style as you write.
And when you get stuck and don't know what to write about, go to the writing prompts and daily affirmations. But I promise you, if you're thinking, you've got lots to write about.
Love & Trust Yourself.
