Journaling: A Pathway to Self-Discovery and Healing

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Benefits of Journaling

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Here are some of the benefits of journaling!

To start off, here is a quote from Journaling.com "Journaling has been scientifically proven to speed healing, increase productivity, reduce stress, anxiety and depression, AND improve creativity."

Have you ever tried journaling? I have, and I can say that I do agree with that quote.

Journaling can have benefits for anyone, at any stage of life. For centuries,  people from many different cultures and periods in history have turned to journals as trusted friends. Reflecting on daily experiences, relationships, and personal values can be a great way to help you get in touch with your thoughts and feelings.

Isaac Watts, in his book The Improvement of the Mind, said "Once a day, especially in the early years of life and study, call yourselves to an account what new ideas, what new proposition or truth you have gained, what further confirmation of known truths, and what advances you have made in any part of knowledge."

Lorraine Nilon, in her book Spirituality, Evolution and Awakened Consciousness, wrote "Contemplation cultivates an inner connection, an awareness of yourself. I don’t mean your emotional self; I mean the part of you hidden beneath your emotional baggage — your soul’s consciousness.”

Anne Frank, whose diary is perhaps the most well known, in modern times, wrote, “I can shake off everything if I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” 

Journals offer a safe space to express difficult emotions, making it easier to work through distressing thoughts that you might not be ready to share out loud.

So, I thought I'd start off with a few lists.

Types of journals

  • Plain writing journal (aka diary)
  • Art journal
  • Bullet journal
  • Junk journal, which is often a handmade journal made from actual junk papers, or an altered book whose pages have been prepared so that they can be written on, or you can use digital kits that you print out on your home or office printer, and then use a simple binding method to put the pages together and then use the booklet as a journal.

If you are interested in printable kits, I have some freebies at one of my blogs, MarcyCoate.com then click on the "Freebies" tab in the top menu bar. You can also see some examples of different journals that I have made on my YouTube channel.

Some reasons you should journal

  • to calm yourself
  • to write positive affirmations   (or do what they call "manifesting")
  • to focus on one particular thing or goal
  • working through any type of loss - such as a grief journal
  • to emphasize the importance of certain things you want to remember
  • or any other specific purpose that you feel is important to you

What should I write about?

You might like to start off with what is called a brain dump - just let it all out. Or maybe do your own version of a brain storm - jot down all the ideas that come to you, without trying to evaluate them or put them in order - you can go back later and do it. You can journal about spiritual topics that you want to focus on, or do a written style of meditation. You can write down Bible verses or prayers. Another thing that I like to do is to write down quotes that I want to remember, or copy out my favorite poems to read later. You can also write a list of things that you are thankful for. This is great for getting your focus off of your problems and onto the positive things that are already a part of your life.

Now let's talk about what style of journaling you want to do:

  • it can be reflective or analytic
  • you might even try writing a conversation between your heart and your head, or between two or more fictional characters who represent different points of view that you want to consider
  • or like I said before when I was talking about the "brain dump" - write it all down - everything goes - just get it all out you can deal with the individual pieces later on.

These are just some of my thoughts and ideas. If you'd like to get more input from other journaling fans, here are some resources for you.

Podcasts about journaling:

focusonthispodcast.com

In particular I recommend episode 61 (The power of journaling) and episode 64 (Why you need to count your blessings).

ultimatehealthpodcast.com/katie-dalebout/
(an interview with author Katie Dalebout, writer of Let It Out: A Journey Through Journaling)

Journaling.com also has several podcasts that I like:

Books about journaling

I have not read any of these books, but they all are top recommendations at GoodReads.com

Journaling prompts

psychcentral.com/blog/ready-set-journal-64-journaling-prompts-for-self-discovery

or use your favorite search engine and search on "journaling prompts"

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