Historically, people have kept journals to pass the time or escape from their problems momentarily. From travel journals to daily accounts of our lives, we tend to keep records of different aspects of our lives. No matter how the information is organized and where, consistent journaling has become a vital self-care practice. Beyond simply helping people to stay organized, journaling also builds mindfulness and gratitude, reduces stress, and encourages personal growth.
Journaling is a popular self-care practice among people who want to take care of their mental health as well as those who want a creative outlet to express themselves. Many people also turn to journaling when they’re trying to overcome physical or mental setbacks. There is increasing evidence that having a space to organize one’s thoughts has a positive impact on a person’s well-being. Many health professionals believe that writing about a stressful event in a one’s life helps the person come to terms with it as it acts as a stress management tool.
Scientifically, writing accesses the left side of the brain, which is analytical and rational. Keeping the left side occupied allows the right side to unleash its creativity, thus removing mental blocks. This ultimately helps people to understand themselves and others better.
People who take up journaling, can experience benefits like the clarity of thoughts and feelings, personal growth, reduction of stress, practical problem solving, and beyond.
With technology changing the way we interact, the art of journaling has also moved to a more digital landscape. Memriez is the latest app to enter the digital journaling market. This app helps users to automatically track their social media posts, appointments, entertainment, and more, creating the ultimate life story.
This automatic journal connects to all social media platforms to keep records of all posts, and tracks when the user finishes their favorite book, movie, or TV show. Memriez also syncs with calendars to track appointments and reminders, monitors fitness and allows users to express themselves with text or audio journal entries. Memriez is the ideal app for people who want to keep a record of their daily lives, providing everyone a way to stay in control.
When life takes a toll on your mental health, you’re left with jumbled thoughts. Consistent journaling allows people to take time out of their busy day to jot down their thoughts and raw emotions, thus getting in touch with their internal selves. By writing routinely, people can get the clarity they need to improve their emotional well-being. Writing down thoughts and feelings of anger, sadness, and other painful emotions provides an intense release of feelings. This release gives a clear mind to find a solution for their problems. Usually, we problem solve from an analytical perspective. Be that as it may, freeing the right side of the brain helps people to unleash their creative side while dealing with problems.
Finally, having records of encounters and conversations helps people to understand arguments from another person’s point of view. This helps people to resolve disagreements. Ultimately, the writer is in control of the narrative. Recording thoughts on a medium outside one’s head clears a person’s mind to reflect on ideas and experiences as they tell their own story.
According to psychologist and author Kelly McGonigal, writing about personal values makes people feel more powerful and in control.
Productivity and mental health seem to have an interdependent relationship. When a person’s mind is clear and one has a creative outlet to express themselves, their productivity also increases. For this reason, journaling also has many benefits on productivity.
When absorbing a massive amount of information daily, journaling can help to summarize content and connect with ideas. In fact, researchers have found that learning can be reinforced through reflective writing. These researchers have also discovered that by journaling regularly we can sharpen our attention and strengthen our neural pathways. According to neurologist Judy Willis, writing enhances the brain’s intake, processing, retaining, and retrieving of information. Reflective writing can promote a brain’s sharp focus, boost long-term memory, and be a source of conceptual development.
There is a unique relationship between a person’s hand and brain. Words written down are a general representation of ideas that can be narrowed down and strengthened by other information. Writing one’s thoughts down therefore and helps a person to reflect in a more in-depth way.
Any form of writing can promote healing. When a person writes a story about a negative experience, they turn it into something tangible that can be transformed. Ultimately, journaling can help people free themselves from any mental block they may have from past trauma.