During the winter months it can be difficult to get away from your normal routine and so, having a weekly time to sit down and jot down some notes and ideas was essential. I knew that in order to keep the momentum of keeping a journal going, I needed to get back into the swing of things. I started to write daily and soon found myself sitting down with my laptop at my side. It wasn’t long before I was ready to start keeping a journal online. Now, I am able to not only look back over the past year, but also see what impact the writing has had on my future.
In the beginning of my journal I wrote about all the wonderful times that I had experienced. From writing down how I felt on those wonderful occasions, it was easier to see why I was experiencing all of these emotions. From this writing, I began to understand that I had some negative feelings that were associated with certain situations and I realized that I needed to write them down as well.
After a few weeks of journaling, I found that I was starting to notice a significant difference in my mental health. At first, I thought that perhaps I should take a break from my journaling and allow my emotions to flow naturally. However, I quickly realized that I needed to be more disciplined. I started taking deep breaths when I started to feel stressed or anxious. I took long walks, I cooked nutritious meals and even cut back on my TV watching. All of these changes helped me to bring my mind back to happier, more peaceful states and I began to notice that my stress levels were reducing.
Journaling is not about keeping something in your head, it’s about keeping it where it can help you benefit from it every day. When you keep a journal, you don’t have to write about every single feeling, or the bad thing that has ever happened to you. Instead, write about all of the good things that have ever happened to you. By keeping a journal, you can begin to understand what your life is truly made up of and you will begin to experience an increased sense of gratitude.