How do You Develop a Daily Writing Habit? Try Journaling!

Journaling is one of the best ways to develop a daily habit of writing.  Journaling can have positive impact on your life now and for reflection in the future. It is a good way to look back at your life and see how you have grown emotionally. You can reflect on the blessings and challenges that life has thrown in your path.

I journal almost daily and it has had an amazing impact on my stress level. By writing my fears, hopes and gratitudes, I gain a better perspective on my life.  Expressing my thoughts on paper, allows me to uncover my deepest feelings. When I begin writing I can feel myself relax and soon the challenges seem smaller. Sometimes I cry the entire time I write and other times I laugh. Whatever emotion journaling evokes, you will feel a sense of wellbeing when you are finished. 

We recently had a comment from one of our readers that she never intended to write a book, but her daily habit of journaling evolved into a book. I have several little books that will result from my journal. They may ultimately not be for the public, but they will be in a book format.

If you have trouble thinking of topics to write in your journal you should check out The Reflective Writer. Judy Stone-Goldman always writes a reflective post and then gives a writing prompt. I often use her prompts to get me started.

What do you write in your journal?

What writing prompts do you use?

What tips would you have for someone that is just beginning to journal?

What benefits have you seen from journaling?

Writing Can Heal Your Soul

I recently came across a post on the Confident Writing web site. They are running a group project: Can Writing Keep Us Well? To find out more about the project you can go to the site for the guidelines.    

This has been a rough year for me emotionally and writing has been healing for me. My Grandmother and Father passed away within a few months of each other. My husband has a chronic illness that declined rapidly this year, and with medical bills mounting we were at risk of loosing our home. I have always been a positive person and can typically see the good in every difficulty. I struggled to see the goodness in my life this year.

Writing has been my way of grieving for my loss and giving thanks for my blessings. Each day I write in my gratitude journal listing all of the things that I am grateful for. There have been days that the only thing I could think of was that I was writing in my journal. On other days I could write pages of things that I was thankful for. The process of writing down my blessings allowed me to focus on the goodness in my life and find positive solutions that I may not have found otherwise.

When my grandmother died I wanted to say something at her funeral. Writing helped me collect my thoughts so that I could truly express my feelings for her. When my Dad died I knew that writing would be healing for me. I began journaling all of my fondest memories and what I loved most about him. Once again I had the courage to get up give a tribute to his life. It was one of the most healing things I have ever done. When I am sad or miss him I find that writing down my thoughts makes me happy. I have found comfort in reading my words and feelings.

I encourage others to write to help express what they may not be able to discuss with someone else. How has writing helped you heal?

Thank you for participating. For more information on the group writing project go to the Confident Writing website for the guidelines.

How To Derive Benefits From Journaling

The practice of keeping a personal journal is one that has fallen out of fashion in recent years. People have lost sight of how valuable keeping a journal can be. What if I told you that adding the habit of journaling into your daily routine would have a positive impact on nearly every aspect of your life? It might come as a surprise, but just a few minutes of journaling every day will do more for you than just provide a detailed account of your life for you to reminisce over later.

In my own experience keeping a journal, the main benefit I have gained from it is stress management. Something about getting all of my problems and concerns down on paper just makes them easier to bear. On that same token, it helps make my thoughts and problems much clearer. Writing down all the details of every issue in my life and sharing my thoughts on paper both helps me to organize my ideas and makes my decisions easier.

Journaling also helps me learn a lot more about myself, and I’m sure it will do the same for you. Having a place to write every thought in your head without concern about anyone else reading it will allow you to truly express yourself and explore your deepest thoughts and emotions.

In addition to these benefits, recent research shows that journaling may also have a positive effect on your health. Dr. James W. Pennebaker, a professor in the Department of Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin, has been encouraging the practice of journaling for the past 20 years. Through his study of expressive writing as a method of healing, Pennebaker found that short-term focused writing can lower blood pressure, reduce depression, decrease the symptoms of asthma, arthritis and other health conditions, improve cognitive functioning, and strengthen the immune system.

So what’s keeping you from starting a daily journal? Whether you do not think you have time in your day or you are just afraid to write your deepest thoughts and concerns down on paper, just go ahead give it a try. It won’t take long at all for you to see the benefits journaling will bring to your life.

==>Amanda Free is a Communication Major at University of Louisville.