2 years ago, I was in a rut. I had embarked on this new journey as a recording artist and a musicpreneur and it was really exciting but I felt isolated and unseen. In the midst of all of that I felt like I was being called to make a huge life decision that would take a lot of courage.
It was going to be a big change, not just for me, but for my family as well. In my heart, it felt right, but I felt like before I took action, I needed clarity. I needed to be able to articulate why I was making this decision, not just to me but to my loved ones. I needed to make sure my heart, my motives were right.
So I started journaling. I started to put on paper what my subconscious was trying to tell me, what I believed God was trying to say to me. Shortly after, I got the clarity and the confidence I needed to make the decision and take the action that I knew I needed to make. And this changed my life. It gave me new confidence, new joy and a new zest for life.
So it’s no surprise that when I started the harmony and healing project, the first mental health skill I tackled was journaling. Journaling offers a wide range of benefits for both mental and emotional well-being. Here are some key advantages:
- 1. Serves As A Reminder of God’s Plan And Promises For You, Giving You God Confidence: Habakkuk 2:2-3 (The Message Translation) says “And then GOD answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming”. There’s something really powerful about writing what God says to you so you can look at it again and again. So you can use it like a map, realigning yourself to the vision. In what way can you intentionally begin to record what God says to you, for your future self?
- 2. Emotional Processing: Journaling allows you to express and process emotions, helping to release stress, anxiety, and pent-up feelings. I had a mentoring session once that turned into a God encounter. I had shared a song with my songwriting coach and before I knew it, he was telling me that he sensed I was carrying a burden that I had to let go of, someone I had to forgive. He gave me the task of writing a letter to this person. Then taking it and reading it to someone that could then pray over me and counsel me through it. That whole experience brought some much needed healing for me.
Writing about your feelings and experiences can reduce stress by providing an outlet for negative thoughts and emotions. There are times we carry such deep and complex emotions within us that makes it difficult for us to understand and express how we feel. Journaling is a great and safe way to begin unpicking these emotions so we can have better self awareness and have richer relationships. So the next time someone makes you spitting mad, may I suggest you pick up a pen and write out all of the things going through your head, till empathy returns and it’s safe again to speak?
- 3. Goal Setting and Achievement: Journaling can be used to set goals in our personal lives, families, business and health. We can also use it to track our progress, and stay motivated, making a note of our wins, noticing what is working and what isn’t and giving a tangible record of our journey so we, as well as others, can learn from our journey.
- 4. Creativity Boost: Journaling can spark creativity by providing a free space to explore ideas, brainstorm, and unleash creative potential. I often start a co-write by doing a brain dump of all I want to say about the theme we are writing about. After doing a brain dump without any censor or edits, we then look at what we’ve written collectively and it inspires us. It then serves as fodder for the lyrics of the new song we write.
- 5. Mindfulness and Presence: Journaling encourages mindfulness, helping you stay present in the moment and appreciate your experiences more fully. Regular journaling can enhance memory and comprehension by reinforcing information and experiences. So have you recently been on holiday with your family? Why not take some time and write out what your best memories were? Reading these in the future will bring you back to those moments and give you a sense of fulfilment.
- 6. Problem-Solving: Journaling can help in problem-solving by allowing you to explore different perspectives and brainstorm solutions in a non-judgmental environment. It can help you work in empathy and help you become more accommodating, reducing conflict and improving team cohesiveness as well as productivity.
- 7. Health Benefits: And let’s not forget this compounding effect. After you do all of the above, you are well on your way to becoming a happier, healthier you. Journaling can help you by reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, and boosting the immune system thereby, improving your overall physical health.
To listen to Harmony and Healing episode on journaling, listen here. To get started on your journaling journey, download my free guided journal.
I hope you’ve found this useful. Hit me up in the comments and let me know what one journaling action you can start taking today to improve your emotional health.
Author: Ebi Oginni is a singer-songwriter, paediatrician, mental health advocate and music business coach.
