” Journaling grants us unfiltered access to the rough gems of our own minds, ordinarily dismissed by the self-censorship of formal writing. “

Virginia Woolf

Keeping a journal has many positive benefits and can help personal growth and development and actively promote our mental wellness. By regularly recording our thoughts we can gain insight into our behaviours and mood.

Many people treat journaling as something they ” know they should do” but rarely ever take up or keep up the practice but what are the real benefits of writing down the ” rough gems of our own minds ” that Woolf refers to ?

• You can gain clarity and a heightened self-awareness, learn what makes you happy and confident and what situations and people are difficult for you.
• It can help you build empathy, look at things objectively and better understand other’s points of view. Rather than stewing on things it can help you resolve disagreements.
• Writing about the way you feel can release emotions, making you feel lighter, calmer and less stressed.
• Journaling can help you track and solve your problems. Determining the patterns in your thoughts and behaviour can help you design innovative, creative and often unexpected solutions.
• You can improve your memory – Thinking about the events of the day and going through them is a structured way of practicing retrieval.
• It can help to increase your self-esteem and confidence and your ability to take the bad with the good. Writing about positive things releases the feel-good chemicals endorphins and dopamine to your brain, making you feel better.

A new one-day Lifelong Learning course at Stranmillis University College explores these advantages further and shows that by using simple meditation and writing exercises, you can learn how to move through creative blocks caused by over-thinking or self-criticism and promote your own mental wellness.

Monday 7th October 2019 – Stranmillis University College-10.00 am-4.00 pm https://eshop.stran.ac.uk/mindful-writing-and-journaling-for-mental-wellness-2034-p.asp