One of my favorite forms of healing art is journaling, which is the practice of writing in a diary or journal on a regular basis. The process goes beyond just keeping a diary or record of daily events, its about exploring your feelings and thoughts about whats going on in your life.
In recent years, researchers have found that keeping a journal has a positive impact on physical well-being. Psychologist and researcher James Pennebaker (University of Texas-Austin) believes that regular journaling strengthens immune cells, called T-lymphocytes. Pennebaker says that writing about stressful events helps to come to terms with them, thereby reducing the impact of these stressors on physical health. Other research has shown that journaling decreases the symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis .
Aside from what the scientists have proven, there are many more benefits to journaling that we journalers have long known. Listed below are some of them.
Benefits of journaling:
- Clarify your thoughts and feelings
- Get to know yourself better by putting your thoughts on paper
- Reduce stress
- Solve problems more effectively
- Track patterns, trends and improvement and growth in your life
- Gain surprising and valuable insights into yourself
- Get a broader and more accurate perspective on yourself
- Provides a safe way to express negative feelings
- Can get your creative juices flowing
If you haven't journaled before and are interested in beginning, please give journaling a try. You'll be glad you did.
http://www.self-help-healing-arts-journal.com
Catherine Whipple is a visual artist who uses the healing arts to deal with stress and help her achieve her goals. She is the creator of the "Self-help Healing Arts Journal" website which focuses on the healing arts and provides a safe place where readers can reclaim their inner artist, improve their self esteem and work toward their dreams using art and creativity.