We’ve considered different styles of journaling and how some of these lend themselves better to certain times of the day. For example, goal setting journaling probably works best done earlier in the day. Bedtime journaling on the other hand can be a way to manage stress.
Stress is all around. Fretting about work, family, and obligations can become overwhelming. Running everything through your mind without an outlet for stress can make it hard to sleep. When you need to rest, your mind gets hyper focused on stressful things making it hard to fall asleep. During the day it can be easy to push worries down and think about other things. It’s much harder to distract ourselves when we are lying in bed trying to get a good night’s sleep ready to start all over again.
There are a lot of ways to relieve stress and rid our minds of worries, one of the most effective is journaling. Journaling works because it
- Focuses your thoughts
- Is a creative outlet
- Gets thoughts out of your head
- Creates an opportunity for problem solving
Journaling before bed can help reduce stress and make it easier to fall asleep.
Here’s how it helps more specifically:
Journaling helps you get a handle on your thoughts- Journaling helps you focus your thoughts and get them out on paper. Instead of overthinking issues (and depleting our Spleen Qi), journaling helps organise thoughts and process them. It makes it easier to better understand the roots of your stress and focus your thoughts rather than continuously running them over in your mind.
Journaling uses a different part of the brain- The act of writing and journaling uses the creative side or your brain. This in itself can help ease stress. Depending on the type of journaling you do, it may help raise the dopamine in your brain chemistry reducing stress. Journaling doesn’t have to be limited to writing. It can be as creative as you’d like including, but not limited to, colouring, doodling, writing poetry, or any other form of expression.
Journaling removes thoughts from your head- Writing things down tricks your brain into dumping them and leaving them on the page. Journaling can help get thoughts out of your head so your mind can wander on to something else. Psychologically, your brain believes that the thoughts are categorised on the page. It then doesn’t need as much intense focus anymore, so your mind can begin to relax.
Journaling triggers problem solving- In the same way clearing your mind in the shower leads to those “eureka moments”, journaling can trigger problem solving. Worrying about stress in your mind clutters it with negative thoughts and anxiety. The process of journaling triggers our natural problem-solving skills and makes it easier to find solutions.
Bedtime journaling can help you to manage stress and leave your psyche feeling calmer. This can help your mind shut down easily and drift into REM sleep. REM sleep is where the mind and body can repair and heal. Practice journaling before bedtime to help your mind release the worries of the day and prepare for a great night’s rest.