Does the Power of Journaling seem like an exaggeration? It’s not. Journaling is a habit and powerful practice and that can change your life and we’ll explore the power of journaling in various areas of your life.
What is Journaling?
You might think of journaling as keeping a diary, writing your thoughts and dreams, or just taking notes when reading the Bible. Journaling is all of those things plus a powerful act of writing your thoughts, dreams, hopes, goals, and things you are learning in one place regularly.
Many people keep diaries, writing in them sporadically. Others are prolific note-takers when they study the Bible and may even write their comments, conclusions, and impressions about what they’re studying. Others, who journal regularly, include the things God is saying to them and that they are learning through study. Journaling is a record of growth spiritually, personally, and in life and this shows you the power of journaling.
Journaling can be done in a spiral notebook, a book with a lock on it, in a beautiful journal with a specific purpose, on your computer, tablet, or phone. Where you write doesn’t really matter. The power of journaling comes in daily or at least weekly writing. I believe it’s far more effective when you actually take up a pen and write on paper, but I have two journals I keep online. I like the online journal because I can access it from my computer, phone, or tablet. However, I also enjoy writing on paper.
WHY IS JOURNALING IMPORTANT?
There are many studies showing that regular (daily) journaling can have a positive impact in multiple areas of your life and this is the power of journaling. The power of journaling is in the activity that creates benefits in your life. Its power also comes in the record it creates of your life, struggles, and growth.
Journaling has benefits for stress management, mental health, overall health, fighting depression, as an emotional outlet, setting and keeping goals, and much more. The point is, the power of journaling comes in the important benefits you will reap in your life. It is an outlet for emotions, random thoughts, and things you might not feel you can say to others. It’s a private record.
Medical research agrees with the Bible about the benefits of journaling. This article by the University of Rochester Medical Center will give you some additional insight.
It’s important to remember that you can make your journal as simple as you want it to be. It’s your private writing. Because of this, keep the process simple at first and make changes or adjustments later.
Another key to success is to write every single day. It might be one sentence or a hundred. The benefit comes in daily practice that creates a healthy habit. In this way, you can experience the power of journaling.
Benefits of Journaling for Stress Management
As the stress of those around us rises, ours also increases. In 2020, we encountered stresses like social distancing, homeschooling, working from home, and wearing masks. Then came the stress from the unknown factors of the virus itself.
2021 has not proven to provide the changes we probably hoped would come. Instead, new stress has been added with the events of January 6th, 2021. Now we also have the unknown consequences of virus mutations.
The power of journaling allows you to put your honest thoughts down in writing. As you journal more and more, you find that you can leave your stress there on paper and move on in your life.
Journaling to help with stress management can also allow you to see situations clearly. You may also find that you write your own recipe for stress relief.
Benefits of Journaling for Mental health
Mental health and stress management can be closely associated. For many, loneliness and depression have played a part in their lives because of isolation and fear. While journaling can definitely help, please seek out a mental health professional first. Then, add journaling to the practices your physician recommends for you and the power of journaling can be a wonderful addition.
Journaling has a positive effect by creating a healthy outlet for stress or depression. As noted above, your journal is private. It’s also real because it’s private. You can pour your heart, emotions, and thoughts out every day without fear. God does not judge and you can go to the Psalms to see how David and others poured out their honest emotions, feelings, and desires to God knowing He cared and did not judge them.
Read this Post from Intermountain Healthcare about The Powerful Health Benefits of Journaling.
Benefits of Journaling for Overall Health
Perhaps depression, loneliness, or stress are not a problem for you, or they are very mildly affecting you. However, there is one thing we all need to work on continually and that’s our overall health. Because journaling can help you mentally and emotionally, it also helps physically.
For one thing, it creates a healthy habit. For another, being able to quickly release stress, plan more effectively, and train your mind to think about positive things rather than negative, means your overall health is automatically improved.
The Benefits of Gratitude Journaling
I’m a huge proponent of the power of gratitude and gratitude journaling. This practice brought me through the sudden death of my first husband a few years ago. I forced myself to express and write all the things I was grateful for. I sometimes did it multiple times per day including journaling every day.
By focusing on gratitude, my mind had to lay aside the negative thoughts that wanted to overwhelm me. Anyone who has grieved the loss of a loved one understands how consuming it can be.
Gratitude needs to be practiced daily along with journaling. For me, journaling allowed me to pour out the negative and document my gratitude. Each day, I practiced gratitude by speaking about what I was thankful for.
I read statements of gratitude in the Bible. I also told God everything I was grateful for including shoes, food in my refrigerator, and everything small or large I could think of to be thankful for.
Below, you will find links to gratitude journals to help you get started with a habit that will benefit you in every way.
So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always. Philippians 4:8 TPT
Gratitude Journaling will help you keep your thoughts in the right place and the power of journaling combined with the power of gratitude will enrich your life.
Types of Journaling
There are many types of journaling and the type only matters if you’re looking for a Journal that deals with a specific topic. For instance, there are:
- Gratitude Journals
- Joy Journals
- Work Journals
- Bible Study Journals
- Diaries
- Prayer Journals
- Art Journals
- Audio Journals
- Health Journals, and
- Any kind of journal you want to create!
You can use whatever you already have at home or purchase a journal from Amazon, Christian Book, and many other places. Use your phone for audio journals. Google what you’re looking for, and you’ll find an abundance of journals.
You can go to Walmart or Walgreens, Target, and lots of other places. The point is, get a journal and start. If you don’t like it, you can always switch to another one. You can also create a Bullet Journal and design it in a way that fits you.
In fact, you can also create a journal in Word, Google, or another online source. I have an app called GoodNotes. You can access it from your phone, tablet, or PC and it’s simple to use. There’s a one-time fee of $7.99.
Resources to help you journal
Here are some blogs and links to help you with Journaling. Some of them are free, others require a subscription, and others are paid resources. Just click the highlighted text to be taken to the site or to purchase.
This image is just one of the many resources available from Undoubted Grace. There are things like Bible Journaling for Beginners or 5 Ways to Start Bible Journaling and more.
Hope Joy in Christ offers this Prayer Journal that includes all kinds of help like 2 videos, 17 printable pages, and journaling pages.
This is was a 30 Day Challenge from Lullaby Lark but you can still get all of the resources that are part of this informative challenge.
Her Daily Bible provides a Bible Reading Plan that includes a Bible Journal and much more.
Bloggers for the Kingdom has this wonderful article and link called Let Go and Let God that utilizes journaling to help you let go and let God.
Divine Creative Love has lots of resources on Journaling like the one in the pic. The link will take you to the shop where you can find Bible Journaling Tips for Beginners.
One Exceptional Life has a great resource – a 40-day gratitude calendar. Like me, Wendy, the founder of One Exceptional Life believes in the power of gratitude.
Rock Solid Faith has a 1 Year Bible Study Journal with all sorts of helpful resources included.
Undoubted Grace has 3 great resources. The first is How to Start a Prayer Journal and Keep it Up. This includes free Prayer Journal Templates.
Undoubted Grace’s second resource is Simple Prayer Journal Printables.
Here’s the third great resource from Undoubted Grace – A Complete Gratitude Journaling Guide with Benefits, Tips, Prompts, and Guides.
Because I, and many others I know and have experienced the power of journaling to change our lives or thinking, I hope you give it a try. If you have questions, please email me:
inspirationforlifetoday@gmail.com.
Please note that this blog may contain some Affiliate Links and you can find my full Affiliate Disclosure by Clicking Here.