May 19, 2023
In today’s fast-paced and digital world, it is easy to overlook the benefits of journaling with a paper notebook. However, the act of putting pen to paper has been proven to have numerous benefits for mental health and wellbeing, including being an effective method for reducing anxiety. The act of writing down your thoughts and feelings can help clear your mind and provide a sense of relief and clarity.
So how is it that journaling can benefit the health and wellbeing of employees? Let’s find out…
It Reduces Stress and Anxiety.
One of the primary benefits of journaling is its ability to reduce stress and anxiety. Simply writing about your worries and fears can help you release negative emotions and gain perspective on stressful situations. It also helps you organise your thoughts and feelings, making them easier to understand and manage. According to a study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, expressive writing can improve mood, decrease symptoms of depression and reduce anxiety.
It helps identify triggers and patterns.
By keeping track of your moods and emotions, you can begin to recognise patterns in your thoughts and behaviours that may be contributing to your anxiety. This can help you develop coping strategies and make positive changes to improve your mental health. Additionally, identifying triggers can help you avoid situations that cause anxiety.
It can Improve sleep.
Anxiety is frequently connected to sleeping problems. According to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, writing down your worries before bed can help calm your mind and improve sleep quality. By getting your thoughts out on paper, you can release them from your mind and create a sense of closure that can help you relax and fall asleep more easily.
Increases Self Awareness.
By reflecting on your thoughts and feelings, you can understand yourself better and gain insight into your beliefs, values, and motivations. This can help you develop a stronger sense of self and improve your mental health.
It promotes gratitude.
By writing down things you’re thankful for as part of you journaling habit, you can shift your focus away from negative thoughts and feelings and cultivate a more positive mindset. According to a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, people who regularly practice gratitude have higher levels of happiness and lower levels of depression.
Provides a safe space for emotions.
Journaling gives a safe space to express your emotions without judgment or criticism. This can be particularly helpful for people who have difficulty expressing their feelings in other ways. By writing down your thoughts and emotions, you can release them from your mind and gain a sense of control over your feelings. This can lead to a greater sense of emotional regulation and improved mental health.
Our Wellness journal, easy to use and with prompts to help you with self-reflection and tracking your wellbeing.
With clear benefits to the health and wellbeing of employees possible from journaling, coupled with the fact that it is such a simple and low-cost practice, why not try promoting it amongst your team?
Whilst you can’t force people to adopt the practice, gifting a notebook (branded of course 😉 ) along with a short note to tell them the benefits of journaling would be an easy way to introduce it to those that might want to give it a go.
If you think your team will need more guidance on how to effectively journal to get the most out of the process, you could invest in a Wellness Journal that has designated prompts for the user.
You could also encourage people to make regular notes in preparation for one-to-one discussions with the managers – if the benefit of recording their thoughts and feelings in relation to professional and career matters is emphasised, they may start adopting the practice for all aspects of their life.
If you’re ready to invest in your team’s wellbeing by giving them notebooks or Wellness journals then get in touch – we’d love to help!
