Laurel Alexander

Inspiring Wellbeing, Resilience, and Imagination

So much has been researched about the benefits of journaling.  Ones that particularly resonate with me include:

  • Evoking mindfulness: I’m not the most mindful of women.  However, I have found journaling a valuable way to focus on the now of writing, even when my mind may be trawling in the past or the future.
  • Improving emotional intelligence: This is when (haha) my emotions are balanced with my cognitive processes.  When this happens, I feel and think in meaningful tandem.
  • Accessing healing: I find that the soothing of mind and spirit frequently happens through the physical act of writing (more so when I write with pen and paper rather than the keyboard).
  • Sparking creativity: The creative muse comes in all shapes and sizes, and journaling facts or re-drafting facts into fiction nourishes me.
  • Developing self-confidence: This comes through a good piece of journaling.  It might not stand up to academic scrutiny, but I feel good after penning something pretty OK.
  • Sharpening clarity: Journaling can help remove my mental blocks and move forward with better understanding.  It helps me externalise and organise seemingly random thoughts.
  • Getting to know myself better: Journaling offers a silent therapist/coach where I can open myself up and poke around my psyche with no one watching me.
  • Reducing anxiety: Sometimes, I come to journaling worried or anxious, and externalising my thoughts and feelings can help put perspective into the concern.
  • Improving memory: While journaling can be in the present moment or with future aspirations, it is often rooted in the past.  While I’m a wrinkly in the making and my memory is good at the moment (I think -what was I saying?), journaling entries from the past help sharpen my recall (although my recall may be coloured through the passage of time and experiences since the past event).
  • Aiding recovery: We all have many points of pain in our mind, heart, body and soul, which needs healing, and journaling can ease these pathways.  In partnership with aiding recovery, it also gives me more empathy for others.
  • Improving problem-solving: If I have a decision, journaling helps me make sense of the options.

I work with many clients who are passionate about using life writing and journaling to improve their lives.  Don’t hesitate to contact me (under Work with Me) to learn how I can mentor you with your journaling.