How to Actually Stick to a Journaling Routine

A consistent journaling routine can be transformative. Research suggests it’s a reliable way to increase your health and happiness: It can relieve stress and anxiety, improve depression symptoms, enhance memory retention, and boost optimism. That resonates with Margaret Ghielmetti, author of Brave(ish): A Memoir of a Recovering Perfectionist, who’s been journaling for most of her 63 years—starting with a small, white diary that required a golden key to access her childhood thoughts, and evolving through many Marimekko and Moleskine beauties. Growing up, she journaled about the confusion of being an introverted kid and her all-consuming crush on her eighth-grade science teacher. As an adult, she keeps what she calls “Trip Reports”: journal entries documenting her travels, which she can share with her parents, who are too frail to accompany her. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “Journaling is extremely therapeutic, and that’s why I’ve been at it for years,” says Ghielmetti. She appreciates having access to a lifetime of memories—journals are like a personal archive—and after writing in one, she feels unburdened and satisfied. “It’s been a constant companion to me.” One reason why journaling is so powerful is because it promotes mindfulness, says Alison McKleroy, a therapist and author of The Self-Compassion Journal: Prompts and Practices to Inspire Kindness in Your Thoughts, Emotions...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Mental Health Wellbeing Source Type: news