Today is World Mental Health Day and the theme for this year is 'Make Mental Health & Wellbeing for all, a global priority.'
Taking care of our wellbeing is an ongoing process and every little step we take, adds incremental value to our wellbeing journey.
At the EMS Store, we strongly believe that Journaling is one of the most powerful ways of deeply connecting with our inner self and finding our means of happiness & fulfilment which in turn keep our mental health and wellbeing in check. It lets us articulate our thoughts and feelings, express them and see things from a richer perspective when we put it all down on paper.
Gratitude Journaling is an effective way to focus on the positive aspects of our life and reduce our attention from what we think may be lacking. Where our focus and attention goes, that’s where our energy goes and it grows. So lets focus on the goodness and let is grown in our lives.
We cannot stop ourselves from thinking negative thoughts but we can minimise our focus towards them by prioritising, emphasising and expressing the positives in our lives.
The direction we choose to look towards, determines the state of our mental health.
Here are some benefits of journaling that directly add value to our wellbeing. Choose the reason that resonates with you the most.
Helps reduce stress and anxiety: When we pen down our worrying thoughts on a piece of paper, and then read them; we are able to look at them from a more detached and objective perspective. This helps us have a more constructive relationship with our thoughts and build our coping mechanisms to manage them.
Start to feel grateful: Write down three to five things/people you are grateful for everyday before going to bed or just after waking up in the morning. The more we focus on the positives, the more we feel content and happier. Our attention from the negative aspects starts to fade away and we begin to remain in a more positive state of being longer.
Deal with complex emotions: In a state of overwhelm, our brain cannot process the myriad thoughts and triggered emotions it goes through. This leads to further anxiety and sometimes panic attacks as well. Writing down all our random thoughts into a Journal is a form of venting. It makes us feel lighter, heard and reduces our emotional overwhelm in some magical way. Later when we read through our thoughts, we are able to process them in a constructive way without much anxiety.
Reflect and reconnect with your inner self: Prompt Journals are very helpful in improving our reflection skills. The questions make us think, dig a bit deeper within and find answers to questions that help us derive the real meaning and purpose of our being. There is content, fulfilment and positivity around when we feel more understood by our oneself and reconnect with our deeper purpose. It sheds away the need to meet the expectations of others in order to be happy. Inability to meet the expectations of others is more often than not the reason of a lot of mental health issues.
Only when we radiate love and understanding towards our own self, can we radiate the same towards others. Like attracts like!
If you are looking to start your Journaling journey, take a look at some of our amazing journals. the Morning Notes and Mind Notes Journal comes with reflection questions, affirmations, motivation quotes and colouring pages which will make your journaling experience more interesting and enjoyable. The Goal Setter Journal will help you stay focussed on your goals and keep you on track and feeling productive.
Our (soon launching) 30 Days of Gratitude Journal is an effective tool to bring our mind to practice gratitude consistently and shift the mindset from negative thoughts to a flow of positivity, fulfilment, self love and respect for self.
What will you do today to make your wellbeing a priority? Remember, every little step counts.
Happy World Mental Health Day!
( Note: The thoughts shared in this article are from the personal experiences of the author and do not suggest any scientific evidence.)