Journaling to Boost Wellbeing
When the first lockdown was announced, I was one of the people that was stranded abroad. When I arrived back to London I was met with a ghost town, something that I wouldn’t have imagined when leaving for my travels, thrown into a mixture of uncertainty. For the first time in a while, I was forced to pause and to slow down, to focus on being rather than doing and breathe a little deeper.
In the midst of this all, I was trying to navigate a new norm, process one of the biggest civil right movements and keep mentally well – whilst job searching! And that’s when I started journaling. The mental health benefits of journaling are well documented. I started to record my thoughts, emotions and feelings daily and practice gratitude by writing 3 things that I was grateful for every morning with one daily affirmation, a mantra, something that I would keep with me for the day.
My Wednesday Wellbeing tip is to try 5 minutes of journaling every day. It’s a great way to relieve stress, put all your thoughts onto paper and let go. I found it amazing to self-reflect and look back at what I wrote a month ago, 2 months ago and see that we as people are constantly changing, growing and learning. I prefer writing in a journal or notebook, however, there are a few handy journaling apps available such as Diaro and Journey. Journaling has really helped me during this season of my life and I know it’s a technique that also helps the young people we work with. Go on, give it a go!
Want to find out more? Visit:
https://patient.info/news-and-features/could-keeping-a-journal-help-your-mental-health
https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-journaling/
Author: Tracy, Children & Young People Services
Posted on: 8th March 2021
