Can journaling make you healthier?
The quick answer to that question: yes, it can.
Here’s what we know.
People who journal about tough experiences for 20 minutes daily for four days straight:
Visit the doctor less.
Have fewer respiratory problems.
Become less sick.
Have better immune systems.
Heal their wounds faster.
Experience less fatigue.
Experience less chronic pain.
Have fewer medical visits with their cancer treatment.
I could go on…
That’s interesting, for sure. But what should I do with this knowledge?
What a good question! I’m glad you asked it.
What if knowing how to journal could lead you to gain those benefits yourself? What if you could help your parents, friends, siblings, grandparents, lovers gain these benefits?
Well, you can. And that’s the main point of this blog post.
Journaling has many health benefits. Mental health is so much more important than we might think. While it’s still unclear exactly how it works, studies on journaling show that our minds are incredibly connected with our bodies.
And sure, that’s something we are all aware of — we know it. But we don’t truly feel it.
So let’s take a moment right now to understand.
Whenever you sit down and write about the hardships in your life or the dreams that you have for yourself, you are helping yourself need the doctor less.
For every word you write and every reflection you create, you are making your body healthier.
Okay, so you might not be visiting the doctor much at the moment anyway. And this doesn’t resonate with you.
Imagine this instead then: Someone you love — mom, sister, lover, grandpa — has cancer.
Knowing what you know about the health benefits of journaling, you encourage them to sit down and write about their deepest thoughts and emotions.
This could be about their experience with cancer, the fear, or regrets that the illness has awoken in them. Or it could be about their hopes and dreams for the future.
Your loved one chooses to listen to your advice, although it isn’t easy for them. Although it’s kind of awkward and uncomfortable in the beginning.
Your loved one pushes through.
As your person slowly begins to get into the rhythm of reflection, changes start happening in their body. You can see tension begins to release. You can see optimism and gratitude begin to overflow — bit by bit.
The cancer is still there, but their experience of going through it is changing.
This might help them visit the doctor less. This might help them feel less sick. This might even make them able to enjoy their life a bit more.
And you see in your loved one that your advice matters.
I will let this visualization linger with you for a while. It’s powerful stuff…
