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What's The Big Deal About Journaling?


Journaling is a powerful tool for managing mental and emotional health. The first time I experienced the power of releasing my thoughts and feelings onto paper was in middle school. In my Language Arts class, I was given the assignment to write in a journal every day for a week. Each day, we were assigned a new prompt. One of the prompts was to write about something that was difficult or challenging for me. I wrote about how the transition from elementary school to high school, specifically keeping up with my schedule and changing classes was difficult for me. After I released all of my fears, worries, and stress onto paper, I felt immediate relief and realized it wasn’t as challenging as I was making it out to be. From that day forward, journaling was a huge part of my life. I have been journaling ever since.


As a middle schooler, I had no idea that there were studies proving the ways in which writing engages the brain in ways that typing does not. Writing activates neural pathways that add to overall brain health. Writing our thoughts and feelings encourages us to be creative, we can actually visualize what we would like to see happen as we write. It’s also a great way to spend time with yourself and your thoughts. Unlike speaking, what we write is permanent and continues to work for us even after we've put down the pen and closed the journal. I am still taking on time on a regular basis to journal things that challenge me, upset me, my fears, my joys, and my dreams.


Journaling gives me the opportunity to sort through my feelings without the input of anyone else. It’s imperative that we learn to experience our thoughts and emotions in their purest form. Consistent journaling is a great way to facilitate that. Another benefit of journaling is the reflection that it allows us! You feel a sense of accomplishment and connection to our personal history as we read through old journal entries. Journaling is also a great way to highlight personal growth and development as we review our old challenges and coping skills by reading our entries.


My inspiration for creating The Journal Journey came from this. I wanted to write more and be held accountable to writing consistently. I was getting stuck and putting too much pressure on myself to write and I also did not want to deal with the 'real' emotions I was feeling at the time. The Journal Journey prompted me to face what I was going through and encouraged me to sit with myself and my emotions. There are now hundreds of Journeyers who write with me each month!! If you'd like to join, sign up today and receive a new topic each week related to the theme of the month. It's completely free!


Love, live, life

Erica


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