Pathway to Enhanced Mental Well-being
Hello there! I woke up this morning with the idea of sharing my thoughts about journaling, an activity close to my heart, and its numerous benefits. So let’s delve into it!
Firstly, why should one journal? An important reason that comes to mind instantly is the mental health benefit associated with it. You might wonder how jotting down random thoughts or daily events could have a profound impact on your mental well-being. Let me enlighten you.
Our human brain isn’t particularly adept at making ordered lists—our brain functions like an association engine connecting different ideas in a jumbled web-like pattern. Contrarily, writing facilitates aligning things neatly in order which serves some practical utility.
What makes journaling truly meaningful for me are the psychological gains. Here’s why - science suggests that words shape our thought process; we structure our musings using words. Thus, journaling can be perceived as practicing thinking effectively! If you aim at transforming your haphazard whirlwind of emotions and notions into something coherent, writing proves to be incredibly beneficial.
Interestingly enough, studies reveal that if we write manually - pen on paper- we’re 30% more likely to remember what we’ve written! There appears to exist some magical connection between capturing information intellectually and reproducing it physically through hand movements leading us back visually processing these words again—a complete loop facilitating better retention!
This brings us onto memory recall—we don’t actually recall memories but reconstruct them every time they surface our consciousness. When you express ideas via writing or when you ‘journal’, what essentially happens is construction of ideas which embeds muscle memory enabling easier reproduction later on; much similar to learning mechanical skills like riding a bike or flipping an egg perfectly over time!
To sum it up, journaling emerges as a powerful tool enhancing not just your ability for recalling memories but also improving thinking abilities!
Now, journaling isn’t a one-size-fits-all activity. There are numerous ways to do it and through this series of articles, I aim at exploring various techniques that could help you harness the power of journaling effectively.
Although often dismissed as mundane scribbling on paper for fear of forgetting important tasks or ideas, journaling holds tremendous potential in boosting mental well-being especially when paired with effective writing techniques which I will outline soon.
In case you’re too excited to wait for future posts; here’s a teaser - we will discuss ‘Morning Pages’ from Julia Cameron’s book ‘The Artist Way’, delve into therapeutic ‘Expressive Writing’, explore daily journaling and Keith Richard’s remarkable system of the Oak Journal. We’ll also talk about gratitude practice – an incredibly powerful way to manage your well-being and emotions alongside sketchnoting.
Furthermore, I’ll introduce you to new-age digital solutions like Rocket Journal or White lines which lets you jot down thoughts on paper while seamlessly converting them digitally for convenient access anytime!
I am truly passionate about expressing oneself through good old pen-paper method or their modern digital counterparts! So stay tuned as I share my personal experiences hoping they inspire and help improve your journey towards self-discovery through the artful act of journalism.