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journaling
journaling is the epitome of self-reflection
journaling opens a doorway to your inner world, where you can explore your thoughts and emotions, without the fear of judgement and societal expectations
and, it doesn't even take much to start,
as you put pen to paper, you uncover recurring themes, or triggers that influence your behavior and habits
slowly, you start to notice why you take the actions you do
not only does journaling heighten your self-awareness, it can help document your life
do you ever wish you knew what was going on when you were a high schooler? when you first fell in love?
journaling not only offers that nostalgic bridge to the past, but it also offers a multitude of benefits
the science behind journaling
how journaling affects your brain
when you journal, your health is improved
but how exactly does journaling impact the brain?
on an atomic level, being stressed or worried is similar to constantly multitasking: you're trying to focus, but half of your effort goes to stopping these worries
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a study conducted by researcher and professor, Matthew D Lieberman of UCLA measured people's brain activity during journaling - in the experiment, participants were met with an angry face image, and this stimulated the activity of their amygdala (brain's emotional region)
however, when words were being associated with the images, their emotional reaction decreased, significantly
journaling replicates this emotional reaction
every time you journal, your brain becomes less intense and allows you to be more open with your feelings