What is Journaling: 7 Major Reasons Why You Should Start Journaling
Journaling is one of the most recommended self-care practices in the world. It can help you find peace, clarity and closure from your experiences. It is a habit that can impact your physical and your mental health positively.
In this blog, we will examine journaling, its benefits and other necessary information you should know about journaling.
What is Journaling?
Journaling is the process of jotting or putting down your thoughts, feelings and ideas on a journal. It involves recording your thoughts/ feelings about an experience or situation. It is a therapeutic way of sharing your emotions and thoughts through words.
There are 2 major ways you can journal-
- Paper Journaling: This is when you document and record your thoughts in a paper, journal, notebook etc. With paper journaling, you are able to write down your thoughts anywhere without any digital device. It is also more personal.
- Digital Journaling: is a type of journaling that involves putting down your thoughts on a digital platform like a notepad or journal app. Examples of journal apps are Rosebud, Day One, ULY, etc.
When Can You Journal?
Journaling can be done anytime. You can do it immediately you wake up or before you go to bed. You also can do it at work. What matters is that you do it at a time and place where you will not be distracted.
What is a journal?
A journal is a space where you put down your reflective thoughts into words. It could be in paper form. It could also be done digitally i.e through journal apps.
Difference between a Journal and a Diary
A journal and a diary are constantly interchanged together but there is a difference. What you write in a diary is different from what you write in a journal.
A diary can contain records of your daily activities, schedule, events, and other information you want to remember. While a journal is used to document your feelings, goals, perspectives, experiences so you can reflect and learn from them.
ALSO READ: What is Yoga: 6 Major Benefits of Yoga on Your Mental Health
7 Major Reasons Why You Should Start Journaling
Journaling has become very popular in the world for amazing reasons like:
- Journaling provides a safe space to release and process your emotions.
When you write/type as the case may be, you let go of suppressed emotions and feelings. You are also able to reflect on them and find out what it means.
For example, if you start Journaling after a breakup, you are able to let go of any suppressed emotions, reflect and ultimately find closure.
2. It stimulates your brain and increases creativity.
Journaling helps you gain clarity and find inspiration. While journaling, you are consistently thinking, reflecting and brainstorming. This can stimulate your creative juices and help you think of great ideas.
- It improves your self-awareness.
Self-awareness is the ability of being conscious of your thoughts, patterns, behaviors and its impact on yourself and other people around you. Through journaling, you gain a deeper understanding of your behaviors, your emotions, etc.
With self-awareness comes growth. As you become more self-aware, you are able to let go of self-hurting behaviors and habits.
4. It reduces stress and anxiety.
Stress and anxiety are a reflection of your emotional state. Journaling can be an unburdening practice. It is like going to therapy.
While writing, your mind becomes free of stressful and anxious thoughts, helping you maintain a calm state of mind. A 2018 study has even revealed that journaling helped in reducing depressive symptoms and anxiety of its 70 participants.
5. Journaling helps you develop the habit of gratefulness.
As humans, we generally focus on what is going wrong in our life and dismiss the good. However, journaling changes that. It helps you pause, analyze your life experiences and notice the positive aspects of your life.
6. Journaling provides clarity and improves your problem solving skills.
When you are journaling, you analyze and try to understand an experience. In the process, you gain more perspective about a situation and begin to see it from both sides.
For example, if you have a challenge and you decide to write it down in your journal, you will find out that as you write, you begin to gain clarity about it and you may even get ideas on how you can solve that problem.
7. It improves your mood.
Journaling is a good mood booster. If you are in a bad mood and you decide to journal, at the end of the process, you will find that your emotions are less intense.
For example, if you are very angry and you start journaling, you will notice that as you write/type your anger fades.
How to Start and Maintain a Journaling Habit
To help you start and maintain the habit of journaling, here are a few tips to guide you:
- Get a Journal or a Journaling App (if you prefer digital Journaling).
- Create a Journaling Routine- Do you want to do it in the morning or at night? Do you want to do it at home or at work?
- Start Small- There is no rule that you must write a whole page when your journal. It could be as simple as writing a few sentences. Do not pressure yourself.
- Write Freely- There is no rule of what you can or can't write in your journal. Don't limit yourself. Write as you wish.
- Choose a Distraction-Free Zone and Time to Journal- Only journal at places and times when you will not be distracted. For example, if you are a mom, journaling when your kids are present might not be a good idea.
- Be Patient and Consistent- To reap the benefits of journaling, you need to be consistent. It should not be a one-time thing or a once in a while practice. Write in your journal regularly.
Conclusion
Journaling is one of the best practices you can do for your mental health. It will change the way you see things and help you find clarity and closure. Click here to purchase a Mindfulness Journal and start your journaling habit today.
The Power of Affirmation Cards: Six Benefits They Can Bring to Your Life
One of the tools of personal growth that a lot of people are tapping into recently is affirmation cards. These little cards inscribed with positive affirmations and quotes are used to counter negative self-talk and boost self-confidence.
Read on to find out the power of positive affirmation cards and how you can use them to your benefit.
What Are Affirmation Cards?
Affirmation cards are phrases and statements used to counter unhelpful and self-defeating thoughts. They are cards with positive statements inscribed on them which you can read to boost your confidence and encourage yourself.
These statements create a positive mental image in your mind about yourself boosting your self-esteem and confidence levels.
For example, let us say you are feeling doubtful about yourself before a big exam. Reading affirmation cards can help you become more confident and get rid of those self-sabotaging thoughts.
Affirmation cards are built on the power of positive thinking and self-affirmation. If you think positive of yourself, you are most likely to have positive results. Constantly reading affirmation cards will help you think of yourself and your abilities in a positive manner.
It is a way to get rid of inferior thoughts and remind yourself that you are capable and worth it. It is a self-esteem and self confidence booster. Some successful people who swear to the power of positive affirmations are Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Lopez, Michelle Obama, Maya Angelou, etc.
10 Everyday Affirmation Card Quotes
Examples of affirmation quotes on these cards are:
- I believe in myself and my ability.
- I am confident and capable at what I do.
- I choose to be happy.
- I accept and love myself thoroughly and completely.
- I am fine with who I am and I love who I am becoming.
- My body is amazing just the way it is and I accept myself this way.
- I am a quick and capable learner.
- I choose only to think good thoughts.
- I release negative feelings and thoughts about myself.
- I am unique and beautiful.
What Affirmation Cards Are Not
Affirmation cards are not magic. They are not quick fixes to pass an exam or a job interview. Although they help to change your perspectives and mindsets, if you don't take action, nothing will happen.
How Long Should You Read Affirmation Cards
Regularly. Reading affirmation cards should not be a one-time thing. To get the full benefits on your mental health, you should read it constantly.
When Should You Use Affirmation Cards
Using affirmation cards is very simple. You can read it before leaving your house in the mornings. You can take it to work to give yourself a confidence boost at work.
You can also read an affirmation card before major events like a presentation, interview, date, etc.
Also, you can use affirmation cards anytime you feel doubtful of yourself or whenever you have negative thoughts.
Furthermore, you could use it whenever you are stressed, scared or afraid of failure.
In short, you can read an affirmation card anytime you want to get rid of negative thoughts or you want to encourage/motivate yourself.
I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest: Mohammed Ali.
5 Benefits of Affirmation Cards On Your Life
- It increases your performance and results: Affirmation cards help you believe in yourself and your abilities. It encourages you to see yourself in a positive light which motivates you to perform better.
For example, if you consistently read affirmation cards like “I have faith in my abilities, my goals are achievable”, etc. You start believing and seeing yourself as capable and this will change how you work.
- It increases your energy and motivation: Affirmation cards helps to energize and motivate you. For example, let us say you have a goal that seems difficult to achieve, affirmation cards can motivate you to try.
Consistently reading affirmation cards like “I got this, I believe in myself” will motivate you to try and take action.
- Affirmation cards boosts your mental health: Studies shows that self-affirmations can decrease stress. So, when you are stressed and anxious due to work, school, etc., reading affirmation cards can help you calm your mind and reduce your stress.
- It boost your self-esteem and confidence: Affirmation cards are positive affirmations of yourself and your abilities. When you constantly read them, the number of times you doubt yourself reduces and your belief in yourself rises.
For example, you have probably noticed that when people are praised, they tend to become more confident in themselves. This is what affirmation cards do.
- Affirmation cards helps you think in a positive light: Reading affirmation cards consistently will change your negative beliefs and mindsets to positive ones. You become more optimistic about yourself and your situation.
- Affirmation cards have the potential to change your life: This might look like an exaggerated benefit but it is not.
Imagine constantly thinking positive about yourself and your situations, things around you will change. You start to see the good in yourself and around you. Even the Bible confirms it, “as a man thinketh in his heart so is he.”
ALSO READ: 10 Amazing Benefits of Meditation on Your Mental and Physical Health.
Where Can You Buy Affirmation Cards?
Affirmation cards can be purchased at online stores like Amazon. You can also purchase it here at Mycarebuddy at cheaper prices. You can buy it for yourself, your loved ones and your co-workers.
Click here to purchase your affirmation cards.
Conclusion
In taking care of your mental health, getting some affirmation cards should be one of your priorities. It will boost your self-esteem and confidence while getting rid of self-sabotaging thoughts of yourself.
To join other people who are constantly learning how to take care of their mental health, join our online mental health community today.
Stress Management: How Can You Manage Stress at Work
Research has shown that work is one of the leading causes of stress in the world. The pressure to meet up with deadlines and all other demands of work can sometimes get to you and cause you to feel tired, anxious and stressed out. In the long run, it can lead to burnout, depression and even health problems.
To help you handle work stress and avoid burnout, you need to take specific steps to handle stress at work.
In this article, our focus shall be on how you can handle/manage stress at work and prevent burnout and other related problems.
What is Stress Management
Stress management is used to describe the various ways, steps, techniques, tools that can help you handle stress. According to Mayo Clinic, stress management comprises the various ways to help you better deal with stress and difficulty, also called adversity, in all aspects of your life.
Through stress management techniques and strategies, you will be able to effectively manage stress in all areas of your life including your work.
Six Signs That You Are Stressed at Work
- Constant weakness/tiredness.
- Headaches and muscle tension.
- Anxiety and depression.
- Anger and frustration.
- Insomnia/difficulty sleeping.
- Absenteeism and presenteeism.
- Poor work performance/results.
These are just a few of the many ways to tell if you're experiencing work stress.
Causes of Work Stress
There are a lot of reasons why you can get stressed at work such as:
- Unrealistic deadlines/expectations.
- Conflicts/disagreements at work.
- Overwhelming work demands.
- Poor relationships with your boss/supervisor and co-workers.
- Toxic work environment.
- Constantly working overtime, etc.
ALSO READ: 10 Self-Care Practices to Help You Relax and Unwind.
How Can You Manage/Handle Stress at Work?
1. Identify triggers and parts of your work that makes you stressed
To help you cope or handle work stress, you must try to find out aspects of your work that is causing you to feel tired and anxious.
For example, as an employee, you could be feeling stressed because of constantly working overtime or carrying out tasks beyond your capabilities. Once you are able to pinpoint the exact aspects of your work that is causing stress, you will be able to make the right changes.
To help you do this, you can decide to keep a Stress Journal. When you constantly note down things that are causing you stress at work, you will be to make proper decisions.
2. Develop healthy and practical coping strategies
Everyone has different ways to handle stress. For example, you might discover that exercising helps you take away the pressure from work and makes you feel less stressed. But this might not work for other people.
It is also not enough that you find practical ways to cope with stress but it must also be healthy. Some people cope with stress by getting drunk, eating junk food, etc., but this is only a temporary solution and bound to affect your health in the future.
3. Practice mindfulness and meditation
Mindfulness is the practice of being conscious or aware of your thoughts, body and environment. While meditation is the practice of clearing your mind of all distracting thoughts and focusing on a particular image, mantra or thought.
These two practices are one of the most common ways you can handle stress. The good news is that they can be done even at work.
Here is a simple meditation routine you can practice at work-
Look for a quiet place in your office or even at your desk. You can close your eyes if you think it will help you stay focused. Try to calm your mind and focus on a particular thought/mantra/image. As you do this, take slow deep breaths.
Doing this for 5-10 minutes at work can calm your mind and relieve your stress
4. Take care of your body
It is inevitable to feel stressed at work once in a while. To help you handle it, take care of your physical health.
How can you take care of your body?
- Eating healthy and nutritious foods at regular hours.
- Exercising regularly.
- Getting adequate sleep.
- Reducing your intake of junk foods.
- Quitting or reducing cigarettes and alcohol intake.
5. Take regular breaks at work
No matter how busy you may be at work, try to take regular and short breaks. You could decide to go on short walks during lunch hours.
It could even be as simple as walking around and talking to your coworkers for a short time
6. Set realistic goals
We all want to achieve all our goals at work but that doesn't mean we should do it at the expense of our mental health.
For example, if you are in charge of a particular task at work but you are constantly trying to meet deadlines and always feeling pressured, this can cause you to feel stressed, anxious and ultimately burnout.
So, set goals that you can achieve without feeling pressured. If you are struggling with meeting up with deadlines or tasks, talk to your boss or supervisor.
Also learn to say 'No' to tasks that are time-consuming and beyond your capabilities at the moment.
7. Learn time management skills
Time management is a skill that you must possess to work efficiently at work without sacrificing your mental health. It is the ability to plan your time among different activities efficiently.
If you have a lot of tasks to carry out, managing your time will help you prioritize the most important ones and cut back on any unnecessary tasks that are wasting your time.
It will also help you choose realistic deadlines. For example, if you work for 10 hours a day and you are trying to do a job that is supposed to take 24 hours, you are bound to feel stressed.
Furthermore, it will help you break down large projects into smaller and achievable tasks. With time management, you will be able to use your time efficiently without getting burnout.
8. Set work-life boundaries
There is a difference between your work and your personal life. If you constantly work when you should be with your family, you are bound to feel stressed.
For example, if you are always working during the weekends, this can significantly increase your stress levels and even worse, lead to burnout.
Therefore, you must be very careful not to blur the lines between your personal life and your work. Don't constantly bring work home unless it is absolutely necessary. Get a life outside your job.
9. Ask for help
Many of us are significantly stressed at work from our work demands and all it will take to manage the situation is to ask for assistance.
However, we refuse to do so either out of pride or embarrassment. But there is nothing wrong about asking for help.
So, if you have a task that you struggle with and is pressuring you, ask for help from your colleagues. Do not suffer in silence.
Also, if you are a boss or self-employed, try to delegate tasks that might be adding to your burden.
10. Talk to a therapist
This is one of the best ways to handle work stress. A therapist will help you analyze the issues that are making you stressed at work and also teach you better and heathier ways you can handle it.
To speak with a therapist and learn how to handle stress at work, book a session with us now.
Conclusion
Feeling stressed at work is very common and you must learn how to handle it effectively. Through time management, setting boundaries, asking for help and other practices mentioned above, you will be able to manage stress at work efficiently.
To learn more about stress management and other ways to take care of your mental health, join our mental health community today.