Putting up a post at the end of the year listing my achievements isn’t my thing, but journaling privately about it over several days is. This is a practice I have engaged in for many years. In these writing sessions, I start by recognising what I’ve achieved in this past year on both a personal and professional level. I identify where the gaps have been and what needs to change, be further explored and what can realistically be accomplished in the new year. I determine what I need to let go of and what must be taken up. I use my journaling practice as a means to be unerringly truthful and set a challenge for myself. As these writings are not produced for public consumption, a high level of honesty and detail is involved. Journaling gives me the chance to look into a clear yet kind mirror and pave the way ahead with care.
Lately, I have spoken with many people who do not call themselves writers, but engage consistently in journal writing as an exercise in personal reflection, goal setting, and a wellbeing practice. Whether you are scribbling longhand in a notebook or writing on your phone on a crowded train, journaling is known to have a cleansing effect and to be beneficial in multiple ways.
1. Journaling increases your sense of achievement and gratitude.
Journaling may be used as a tool to look back, recognise important moments and inroads, and celebrate them. It enables a sense of gratitude for the opportunities and actions taken in the past year, a sense of personal pride, and the conditions for positive forward motion. It is rare that we take the time to sit down and give ourselves credit
for our successes across professional and personal aspects of our lives, as we are often quickly moving on to the next thing.
Introspective journaling at the end of every month, quarter and/or year, provides the opportunity to reflect on what you have achieved and how you have grown, with the opportunity to identify what can be improved and what next steps would be. A journaling practice can be used as a way of acknowledging your ability to get things done based on what you have managed to do so far, and this can be affirming.
2. Writing decreases feelings of isolation or inertia.
Lifeline recently stated that “Writing about challenging experiences can help you process them in a constructive way, making it easier to handle difficult emotions.” Though journaling, you are essentially convening with yourself and transporting your emotions and thoughts out of your physical body and on to paper. This has the effect of emotional movement and release.
We all know that truthfully communicating our feelings with others is essential for our wellbeing. What is also highly beneficial is initiating a written dialogue with ourselves. Writing out our unique thoughts and feelings can break the pattern of bottling up emotions or repetitive overthinking. These communications have now moved out of our bodies and on to the page.
3. Journaling improves physical as well as mental health.
The link between mental, emotional and physical health has been confirmed by many health experts over the years, including research findings that imply that improved mental health increases life expectancy. By engaging in the introspection and self-expression that writing can provide, you are giving yourself voice and placing value on your thoughts and feelings by taking the time and attention to write them down. This is especially beneficial for those who have experienced emotional neglect or low self-esteem in their lives. Research conducted by Baikie and Wilhelm in 2005 suggested a range of health benefits from expressive writing including lowered blood pressure, improved lung and liver function, better moods, and improved psychological wellbeing.
4. Journaling creates a sense of clarity and purpose.
There is something that happens when putting pen to paper. The tip of your pen can act as a focal point for conveying and making sense of the mix of thoughts and feelings inside you. Even at the beginning of a writing session, it may surprise you how quickly you get to the crux of what is bothering you or how clearly you articulate a specific feeling or idea. You can begin by writing a thought and this can lead to expressions and insights you did not expect. Every person has a unique story and perspective that is unlike anyone else’s and this is a chance to articulate it.
When you become comfortable with the practice of writing, a flow is created that can take you to perceptive and surprising places. Composing your thoughts in a written form as succinctly as you can not only clarifies your emotions, thoughts and ideas, but helps to refine or lay out solutions for next steps.
5. Journaling can give you an improved sense of self-worth.
The self-reflection that writing invites can lead to fresh ideas and thought patterns. In a best case scenario, you will arrive at some kind of insight. Worst case, you have engaged in a momentary purging of feelings that can improve your wellbeing for a time. By giving yourself permission to express yourself and articulate your thoughts, your confidence will rise. In this sense, journaling can be a tool for increasing your sense of self-worth and acknowledging your ability to think and communicate effectively.
Journaling can also move you through and past negative feelings that may have kept you stuck or indecisive in the past. I see writing as a river and a passageway – go with it and see where it takes you. When you look down at what you have written and reread it, you may genuinely surprise yourself and realise that there is a great deal within you worth sharing.
Amanda Anastasi is a Melbourne poet, long-time journal writer, workshop facilitator, and professional writer in the careers sector. Amanda will be running a New Year Introspective Journaling Workshop for Writing Through Change on January 15th at Library at the Dock in Melbourne. Book your spot to participate or gift it to a friend who would benefit from this experience.
