what is journaling, this method of taking care of s

Journaling is a super effective, but also economical method to gain power over your mental health. Here are our tips to get you started in this “expressive writing” …

It’s proven: writing improves well-being after traumatic and stressful events, according to a study conducted by theCambridge University. Thanks to journaling, study participants who wrote about difficult events for 15 to 20 minutes, 3 to 5 times, saw an improvement in their physical and psychological health. Putting your thoughts down on paper like a diary, are we getting started?

What is journaling?

If the basis of this practice is already known to everyone (this is the famous diary we kept as a teenager), there are still preconceived ideas about this method. Journaling is a way to put on paper everything that crosses us in our interior life: thoughts, emotions, desires … The goal: to create a moment for yourself, in order to get to know yourself better. It is a very effective personal development tool to take a step back on you and what surrounds you.

Contrary to what one might think, this practice is no longer simply reduced to the phrase “Dear Diary”, but leaves room for real creativity. It is possible to practice journaling on all kinds of media, both on a classic notebook and on social networks (provided that it remains private). It is only necessary that this means of expression becomes a ritual, which passes as well by the writing or even the drawing, to benefit from all its benefits.

What are the benefits of journaling?

Whether it is to describe your desires, your emotions or traumatic experiences, journaling will allow your brain to free itself from a burden. He will no longer need to organize past or future events and process information on a loop, which sometimes leads to periods of insomnia. The event being expressed and being assimilated through the meditation provided by writing, you will sleep better and you will feel relieved. You will therefore gain energy and perceive positive effects on your mental and physical health, by reducing stress and anxiety.

In addition to improving your quality of life, journaling is also a great way to achieve your goals and to sweep away negativity with optimism. By putting your ideas in order, you will see more clearly in your projects.

5 tips for getting started in journaling

1. Isolate yourself in a place where you will feel good. You need to find the perfect place to feel comfortable and not be embarrassed or distracted. Journaling is a method of meditation; to become truly aware of what you are expressing, you therefore need a calm and serene place.

2. Adapt this ritual to your daily life. To fully enjoy the benefits of journaling, you need to include this routine in your daily life. Morning can help you deal with a stressful day, and journaling at night will encourage you to sleep better.

3. Don’t put pressure on yourself. No need to write whole pages or rack your brains to talk about a terrible experience. Journaling is above all a way to decompress and have fun. It is also an opportunity to put words into your feelings in the present moment. It’s not a question of performance: you have to write at your own pace.

4. Do not show it to anyone. To feel free to write whatever is on your mind, it is important that your journal is private. Otherwise, you run the risk of not being natural anymore; the is to pay too much attention to what the people reading you might think.

5. Allow time for reflection. After writing comes the time for realization. Take the time to reflect on what you have expressed so that you can identify the important points. If you talk about your self-confidence, you will be able to notice the barriers you put on yourself and what could be improved to love yourself more.

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Lea Lecuyer

Every day, aufeminin’s editorial staff addresses millions of women and supports them in all stages of their lives. The aufeminin editorial staff is made up of committed editors and …