The Benefits of Journaling: How Journaling Can Improve Your Life

Introduction

I am someone who has always had a paper and pencil near me. Growing up, I would write in one of my multiple "diaries.” When I was younger, I had no idea how useful and beneficial this habit is. I have been journaling for a big part of my life. To be completely honest, I do not journal every single day, but rather once or twice a week. This made me consider the value of journaling. Thus, I will present the findings of my research in this post.

Decreasing stress levels

Writing in my journal has become a coping mechanism for me. It turns out that my suspicion was supported by a JMIR Mental Health study. Researchers discovered that patients' anxiety was lessened by writing about stressful experiences, which also reduced their symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Self-growth and improvement

Park University conducted a study to see whether or not journaling could positively impact college students’ self-efficacy (belief in one's ability to perform a task) and their locus of control (belief of whether or not an individual is in control of his/her life). They discovered that everyone who journaled had higher levels of self-efficacy. They also discovered that journaling improved academic and cognitive performance. Therefore, journaling will make you feel more confident in your abilities and in turn, actually improve your academic scores.

Health benefits

Researchers Baikie and Wilhelm discovered that journaling for twenty minutes a day enhanced liver and lung function, lowered blood pressure, and strengthened the immune system.

Memory improvements

In an experiment by Klein and Boals, they discovered that using expressive writing (writing about one’s thoughts and feelings related to a stressful event) actually improved college students memory. They measured this through limiting intrusive thoughts and increasing Grade Point averages (GPA’s)

Why Your Brain Actually Needs You to Write Things Down

Even though I don't journal every single day, I’ve realized that the times I do sit down to write are when I feel the most "together". It isn't just about having a cute hobby. There is actually a lot of science behind why dumping your thoughts onto paper works. For example, when we write about things that stress us out, we are practicing something called expressive writing. This helps our brains stop looping the same anxious thoughts over and over again.  

I used to think my diaries were just for middle school drama, but they were actually helping me build my self-efficacy. That’s just a fancy way of saying I was learning to trust my own ability to handle life. It’s funny because I’ve noticed that when I’m consistent with my journal, my grades usually start to look better too. It’s like clearing the mental clutter makes more room for actual learning. You don't need a perfect plan or a 20-minute timer to start. You just need to be honest with yourself on the page. 

Conclusion

Writing this article was a lot of fun. I hope you liked it as much as I did! I hope that this inspires you to journal since I learned a lot.

Sources, Credits & Links

Decreasing stress levels source

Self-growth improvement source

Health benefits source

Memory improvements source

Post cover background image: Journaling aesthetic