5 Benefits of Keeping a Personal Journal
BY PATTI TESTERMAN
Everyone who has kept a personal journal knows that writing is a
therapeutic process that helps integrate seemingly unconnected life events.
Some believe the process works because the physical act of writing (using
your hand-eye coordination) occupies your left brain, leaving your right
brain free to access emotions, intuit connections, and create new insights.
How else can journaling help?
1. Journaling reduces stress by getting “monkey mind” thoughts out of
your head. Mind chatter is a powerful stressor, stressor is a powerful
health-buster, and journaling the chatter is a proven chatter-buster.
2. Writing about problems gives your right brain food for creative
problem-solving. It’s amazing what happens when the creative part of your
nature starts working on a problem — you’ll soon find solutions bubbling up
from your subconscious.
3. Keeping a daily diary is one of the best techniques for discovering
patterns, particularly those that are self-defeating. For example, a diary
kept over the course of several months will clearly show any reoccurring
difficulties like overeating, stress eating, poor (but similar) choices in
relationships.
4. Want to better know yourself? Journal. Writing can help clarify your
thoughts, your emotions, and your reactions to certain people or situations.
In addition, as you read back through past journals, you’ll have ample
evidence of the things that make you happy and those that are distressful.
5. Journaling can help clarify events, problems, or options. When you’re
beset with a mind full of fuzzy, disconnected thoughts flitting here and
there, writing about the event or issue will help bring focus and clarity.
It will also help you decide on which action to take, or option to choose.
Patti Testerman is content
manager at
JournalGenie.com, the only online site that analyzes your writing
and gives instant feedback.
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