How to journal for better health.

Ever find yourself scatter-brained?

Or at the dinner table, unable to effectively convey your ideas in a way that your family can understand—leaving you unsatisfied.

Or maybe none of that.

Maybe you simply feel anxious, like you’re “not where you’re supposed to be” throughout the day.

Some days you might not even feel like yourself.

You might be confused and think: “what am I doing wrong?”

The first thing that comes to mind is diet.

They don’t say “you are what you eat” without reason.

And it’s true. Though it may only be a part of the equation.

There is something just as important, if not more important, than choosing clean and healthy foods to eat.

And that is your mindset and outlook on life. 

Which is dictated by your thoughts.

You can eat all the grass-fed beef and pastured eggs you want, and cut all processed junk food.

And still be considered “less healthy” than someone who eats fast food every day…

If you don’t take control of your mind.

And the best way to take control of your mind is journaling.

Ok, before you get scared and stop reading because of the word “journal.”

I get you... I've been in that place before. 

Thinking I'd be wasting my time trying to find things to write down.

But now I've realized anyone can do it. 

In fact you’ve probably done it before. Writing your grocery list in your notes app is a form of journaling. See, easy. No thought required.

Let me define what journaling even is: writing anything down on paper. 

Yes, anything.

But more specifically your thoughts, feelings, insights, ideas… or what’s worrying you.

You can also just write about the events in your day.

But most importantly.

No one else will be reading what you write. It’s only for you.

Which means you don’t have to worry about your handwriting. Or punctuation. Or spelling.

Or how “perfect” your writing seems.

Or about, apparently, embarrassing yourself. (and for what reason?)

In fact, at the very dawn of your “journaling journey,” you should let go of all expectations.

And just write whatever is on your mind.

“Let loose and run wild.”

Without letting that feeling of “I don’t know what to write” (that's a lie) stop you.

But why exactly is all of this worth going through?

And why should you decide to pick up a pen and start writing in some random notebook?

Well. Your quality of life depends on it.

How journaling impacts your health and wellness.

The simple act of writing things down on paper will radically improve your physical and mental well-being.

When you allow yourself to write down that “inner-diaologue” in your mind.

You organize your mind in the same way a high-level executive organizes his desk by separating and labeling paperwork into different categories.

Based on how important it is… what type… or when something needs to be done.

This brings immense clarity. And makes everything so much easier.

Because you turn something intangible—something hard to be identified—into something real.

It allows you to be “on top of things.”

Because you start to see patterns in how and why you think certain thoughts.

When you go to the grocery store with a list, I guarantee you never have any doubts or worries that you forgot something. 

You can relax.

As opposed to when you go without a list…

And your thinking turns to: “Do I actually need this?? Maybe I should get this as well… Did I get everything I need??”

Very incoherent.

Then you get home and realize you bought nothing you actually need, and forgot everything you do.

The same idea applies to your inner-dialogue.

When you write something down, it’s as if the weight of it disappears from your mind.

And transfers to the paper. 

Now you have more bandwidth to focus on priorities. 

Some of the most important benefits of this are the following:

       - You’re relaxed. NOT in a state of fight or flight. 

       -Your body isn’t worried about “survival,” whether real or illusory. 

       -Your body can now run efficiently, and focus on healing.

       -Your immune system works better. Your heart rate and blood pressure go down along with any anxiety.

(Why? Because you’re NOT “stressed” or always thinking/worried about something—whether you’re aware of it or not. Speaking of it: a study on 200 people who journal showed that 65% of them reported being able to manage stress much more effectively.) 

Basically—if you’re not managing your mind correctly, it might be taking a toll on your health.

And that’s what journaling solves.

 Different types of journaling.

There isn't a “one size fits all.”

Journaling is diverse. It can be done in many different ways.

And for a variety of outcomes. (but it's very important you forget about the outcome when writing)

One of the best types to get started with is Gratitude Journaling. 

It is simply writing down what you are grateful for.

Many people like to follow the rule of “writing down 3 things you are grateful for” every morning before they start their day.

While this takes no more than a few minutes, the impact this small action has on your day is profound.

It brings light to the people and things you ought to appreciate, that you might’ve taken for granted. It allows you to be more thoughtful. 

Here is an example entry:

“1) I am grateful for the sun being out today. 2) I am grateful for my tasty and healthy breakfast. 3) I am grateful for the loving people I am surrounded by.”

Try to be as specific as you can.

Still clueless?

Try to answer these prompts: What made you smile today? — Who’s someone you’re thankful to have in your life? — What’s one good thing that happened this week?

(Warning: After a few entries you might feel excessive happiness. And you won’t tolerate anyone's negativity. Don’t believe me? Try it for 3 weeks. And guess what: happiness and health are correlated.)

Another type of journaling is Expressive Journaling.

Also known as “Stream-of-conciousness” Journaling.

Which is best for processing emotions.

Some people call it “venting on paper.”

It involves writing down (or “disclosing”) your thoughts and emotions that arise at the present moment, or about a certain event or situation. 

It’s important that you set a specific amount of time (arbitrarily, 3-5 minutes) where you free-write whatever comes to mind without stopping and thinking about structure, filtering, editing—or even grammar and logic. 

Just let it flow.

You might find that you write things that you weren’t aware of which were hidden away in your subconscious.

This helps you gain a “big picture” perspective.

If you don’t know where to start, try these prompts: “I don’t know what to write but...” or “Right now, I feel...” or start with a random word or phrase and go from there.

Now let’s talk about Reflective Journaling.

It will take more analysis than the former “Expressive Journaling.”

This is where you sit down and reflect after (or before) a certain routine.

Maybe after a meditation. Perhaps after a workout. Or even after the whole day.

You can pretty much reflect back on any moment in time from your day.

And especially after a studying session (or any type of learning activity).

But it’s best to do it immediately, or as close to the activity, as possible. While it’s still “fresh.”

Focus on your physical sensations, emotions, and mindset shifts.

And ask yourself: How did I feel before, during, and after this activity? — What did I learn about myself today? — What would I change or keep for next time?

This will help you build self-awareness. But, most importantly, you will retain more important information as well.

It is often the case that we think that just because we’re aware of a fact at one moment, it stays in our minds forever. Which is wrong.

Our brains usually forget about it if it’s not repeated in some way.

Repeating the information (in this case by reflecting on it) will teach your mind that this is important, and should be remembered—specifically by forming neural pathways.

There are many more types of journaling, but we won’t go into them here.

These include logging activities (like meals), habit tracking, to-do’s, affirmations, etc.

But the ones I went over should be a good basis to start with.

As they bring you the most important benefits to your physical and physiological health.

So how do you “get your foot in the door “ to change your life one page at a time?

How to start. (Even if you’ve never journaled before)

The most important step: have a pen that actually writes.

And a notebook/journal to write in—though a piece of paper works too.

(Or you can just write in the Notes app on your phone. Or on a laptop. But I’d recommend pen and paper. The good ‘ol fashioned way. It’ll bring you the most benefit.)

Now you simply open the first blank page and start writing. Just one sentence. That’s it.

And you work from there, one sentence at a time.

If you don’t know what to write, express that feeling on the page. (as we’ve gone over—”stream of consciousness journaling”)

It may look something like this:

“I have no idea what to write. It is currently 8:04pm, and it is my first time attempting to journal. I wonder what I’ll have for breakfast tomorrow? Sunny-side eggs over sourdough. Wait, I have that every day… Maybe I’ll go out for brunch with a friend…”

DONE!

You get the idea.

(You decide—just write about anything you want. Literally anything. Pancakes. Your dog. Your favorite books or movies. Your secret lore. Why you hate pineapples on pizza so much. Your suppressed hate for ‘Big Ag’ and how you can’t get real food at grocery stores anymore… And so on…)

And that’s all you have to do to start. Remember, it’s about consistency when you’re first building a habit.

Just do something small every day. Or be “1% better every day.”

Slowly but surely you’ll start writing more. And it won’t feel like work. In fact, you’ll insist on writing more.

If you want to make it as easy as possible to start, and to get the best benefits, try this:

Every day when you wake up, open up a blank sheet of paper and write 3 things you're grateful for. All it needs to be is 3 separate words if that’s all you can come up with that day.

And then go about your day.

Telling you more would be overcomplicating something that’s so simple and easy at heart.

So I won’t. If you decide mastering or taking control of your mind is important to you, you will. (Btw—if you aren’t in control of it, then who is?)

Doing so will be one of the most profound turning points for your overall health and wellness. 

And your life as a whole.

If you take away one thing, it should be this: 

Writing things down allows you to organize the complex mind of ours in a way that lets us take advantage of it.