The Life-Changing Magic of Journaling

If I had to pick only one self-care practice for overall well-being for the rest of my life, it would be journaling.

Truly, putting pen to paper has saved--and changed--my life. So much so that I've been doing it every single day for 13 years now as of last week.

It's the top tool I use with my coaching clients. And it's half of my signature hybrid yoga series, Yin & the Power of the Pen.

Journaling isn't just something I believe works. It's been scientifically studied in countless trials and shown to have both mental and physical health benefits. Including helping you fall asleep faster at night.

Here are just a few of the scientifically proven benefits of writing out your thoughts by hand:

• reduced depression & anxiety symptoms

• improved recovery from traumatic events

• increased gratitude

• improved memory

• decreased levels of stress

• boosted immune function & reduced sick days

• weight release

• lower blood pressure

• higher GPAs

• greater creativity

• increased likelihood of goal achievement

• quicker ability to fall asleep

And those are only some of the researched benefits!

I know what you're wondering: Can't I just think about things and get the same benefit? For example, can't you just say 3 things you're grateful for instead of writing them down?

The answer is a resounding NO. And the research supports this.

Something magical happens when we send our thoughts out of our brains, down our arms, and out onto paper. Especially if those thoughts are cyclical, obsessive, or stressful.

I bet now you're probably thinking journaling would be good to add to your practice, but you're thinking using a computer to do so would be easier and just as effective, right?

Wrong.

Studies show we engage completely different areas of our brains when we write by hand versus typing. The former engages critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and our ability to retain information and focus, whereas the latter is more related to rote memorization.

So, if you actually want to shift something in your life, writing it out by hand is more powerful.

Now you're convinced journaling (by hand!) is an incredible tool. But where do you begin?

Here are a few of my favorite methods:

1. Stream of consciousness journaling - Sit down and write, nonstop, for a set period of either time or pages. Don't edit, judge, or censor your thoughts. Remember: The point isn't to think, it's simply to write. So let your hand keep moving. Even if you think you have nothing at all to say, write "I don't know what to write" over and over again until something else comes up. This is essentially the format I have been using for the last 13 years with my morning pages, a practice I picked up from Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way: 3 pages of longhand brain dump.

2. Gratitude journaling - This is probably the most common form currently being practiced, likely because it's so simple: Write down 3-10 things you are grateful for every day. That's it.

1. Journaling to guided prompts - If you really don't know what to write about--or even if you do but would like to push yourself to think through ink about things you wouldn't otherwise spend time considering--you can write in response to prompts. Whether you google "journal prompts to help with sleep" or buy a book with a title like 1,904 Journal Prompts to Boost Creativity from your favorite book store, the possibilities are endless.

And if you live in the Estes Valley and want to be guided with such prompts in person while doing yoga, sign up for my Yin & the Power of the Pen series. We start next Monday, June 5.

Not an Estes local? Join me the 3rd Saturday of every month for an online experience.

Whether you join me for either of these options or journal on your own, remember: There is no right or wrong way to do it. Just do it. I promise you it will change your life when you stick with it.

It did mine--and now here I am helping others (YOU!) do the same :)

With Fierce Love,

Chazz