Journaling reduces troubling emotions, improves physical health and problem solving, and helps keep things in perspective, according to Michigan State University. Stress can occur from many different things but you can help to relieve this stress through bullet journaling.

Reducing anxiety

A study showed the positive impact journaling has on students who struggle with worry and self-doubt before test taking. In this study, there were two groups assigned, one group was instructed to write about their worry and feelings related to the exam, while the other group of students was told to write about which questions they thought would be on the exam. The study showed the students who wrote about their feelings did better on the test. Many of the students said the journaling helped them be less anxious during the test as well, according to the Education Group.

Reducing Stress

Having habit trackers, thought bubbles, goals, lifestyle, health, ideas, and much more written down and planned can reduce stress, as stated by Slap Dash Mom. Many tend to stress over mistakes, but journaling isn’t about making everything perfect and pretty. Journaling helps you learn to turn your mistakes into something better, and not stress over simple mistakes. Don’t compare yourself to others when journaling, that defeats the purpose.

Physical Health

A study shows that writing about your physical health each day or week prevents mental distress. People who had chronic illnesses bullet journaled and wrote about their physical health for 88 days straight, while others didn’t. The people that journaled had less stress and fewer physical health problems. According to Jebra, journaling also helped many people lose weight.

Problem solving

Writing down your problems can help inspire and reflect on situations with lots of stress.  Journaling can also help prevent losing track of your goals, according to Create Write Now.  Journaling makes you think about your goals for the day, what you want to accomplish and finish, and much more.

Keeping things in perspective

When journaling, you learn to keep things in perspective. For example, think for a second and ask yourself, “What thoughts am I feeling that are triggering my stress?”, and so on and so forth. Doing this can help you identify what may be causing your stress and be better able to handle it.

To get started and to maximize the potential mental health benefits, commit to journaling on a regular basis; it can be hard to squeeze into your schedule so once a month would help as well. While we can’t always control or prevent stressful situations, developing a journaling practice can help us better manage our thoughts and feelings to experience greater well-being no matter what life brings our way. Some journals are highly priced at Hobby Lobby, so using things like blogs, books, or other methods are an amazing way for beginners to start journaling. Journaling is most effective when done consistently, as stated by Michigan State University, so once you create a routine and stick to it, you’ll instantly notice the benefits and changes it brings to your life.