Feature Post
By 8th-Grade Blogger Soleil Antle
Believe it or not, journaling has a big effect on your mental health as it reduces stress and anxiety, giving you a safe space to compile your thoughts. I started journaling when I started gymnastics. Journaling has helped me to alleviate the stress I endure everyday at practice. I open my book, pen in hand, and write whatever comes to mind; this could be as little as a sentence or even a page. Once I close the book, I no longer focus on the negatives or overstimulating thoughts that stress me out. This way I am able to write about whatever troubles me in a safe space while not dwelling upon what happened that day. I think it is important for everyone to journal; you don’t have to be an amazing writer to do it; you don’t even have to write about big dramatic events, just something that impacts your daily life. Personally, I think everyone should journal, and there are many studies on how it benefits your mental health.
Bloomington Meadows Hospital discovered that journaling can help you in taking a step back to reflect on all the thoughts and emotions you could be feeling (bloomingtommeadows.com). By writing down your experiences you are able to gain better insight into your feelings and behaviors. This can help you to identify patterns and triggers that could be affecting your mental health, and you can track your progress to see how far you’ve come. They have also realized that writing down your thoughts on paper can help you to gain a sense of control over all your emotions and assist you in feeling empowered to manage them (bloomingtommeadows.com)
Journaling becomes a healthy habit in bringing out the positives in our lives by just writing about some things that really impact our lives. It’s a safe space where you can put your thoughts with no judgement. You can also use journaling to track your sleep, exercise, dreams, etc., just like an Oura Ring can. For example, if you write down when you went to bed and how long you sleep, you can identify patterns and habits.
Mr. Jowett, one of Palm Valley’s admired teachers of science and wellness, tells us how journaling benefits his mental health.
“Putting pen to paper allows me the freedom to be my genuine self. Mentally, it helps me to identify my thoughts and feelings and to clarify their associations. Spiritually journaling allows my spirit to creativ[ely] express my opportunities of growth and where to align my energy each day. By prioritizing the use of my energy I can be more responsible to myself and more reliable to achieve my soul’s desire.”
Overall there are so many benefits to journaling, and I think it would be very good for everyone to try it.
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