How journaling has improved my life.
I’d heard about the benefits of journaling for a long time, but I was never able to build a habit that stuck. The practice of writing down my thoughts and feelings felt really unnatural.
It wasn’t until I was using the first version of Here that I was able to get my habit going. How Here worked back then was everyone on the app got a daily question, and you wrote a reflection on that. Once you wrote yours, you could see what others had written.
I loved it. I found the daily question helped me become more present. It got me thinking about things I wouldn’t usually think about, and I found processing them through writing them down to be extremely valuable.
Since I’ve benefited from journaling, I figured it might be helpful to share some details on how I actually do it so you might be able to benefit from it too.
So here are some recent situations in that journaling has helped me.
Reducing stress
I feel like I’ve been under more pressure than usual lately through a combination of covid, getting a promotion and launching Here. I’ve found myself getting overwhelmed more and more often. So I started a daily check-in.
I realised that I was letting all the pressures of the day build-up, and I wasn’t releasing them in any way. I started my day with my head full from the last and felt I had no space to think.
So every morning, I spend some time with a few questions that help release the. Hold up from the day before and connect with what’s coming up there and then.
It’s such a simple yet powerful practice. I notice that the days I do this are much better than those I don’t.
Planning my day
Now, this is nothing new, but it’s how I plan my day that I’ve found really valuable.
I have 3 areas for my day.
1. Things that will cause me stress if I don’t do them
2. Things that make me happy
3. Things that will reduce stress
By planning my day in these 3 areas, I can make sure I balance reducing stress and happiness. I can also get the things done that will cause me stress early, reducing the amount of stress I feel throughout the day.
Journaling to clear my mind
Occasionally a daily check won’t suffice, and I need to just empty my head. I first heard about this technique from Morning Pages and came back around in a few different forms, so I figured it must be good.
All I do is write until my mind feels completely clear. I try to aim for at least 750 words per morning pages. I only really do this when I feel particularly overwhelmed.
Practising gratitude
If you’re anything like me, you probably take all the amazing things in your life for granted 😬. Taking notice of the good stuff helps me realise that things are going a lot better than I think, which helps me be happier and reduce my stress and anxiety.
Having a conversation with myself to help me think through difficult situations
This one felt a bit weird at first, but I’ve found it one of the most helpful ways to work through difficult situations. I start by pretending a friend is explaining the problem to me and asking questions to work through it.
Coming at the problem from a totally different perspective helps me see it much more clearly, and I can work through it much more objectively.
Broadening my perspective with prompts
I’ve been a subscriber to James Clear’s 3,2,1 newsletter for a few years now, and I always loved the question. But I never really did anything with it. Until I started using them as journaling prompts in Here.
I find these questions are really great at helping me consider the bigger things in life. Things I wouldn’t normally consider, but you realise how impactful they can be when you do.
These are just a few techniques that I’ve used recently, but there’s so much more than can help you work through pretty much any situation.
I really believe that journaling is one of the most important things you can do for your mental well-being, so we’re building Here. Our goal is to make journaling much more accessible through prompts and exercises. If you feel like journaling could help you, we’d love for you to give it a go.
I’d love to know what journaling techniques you use and how they help.
