Most men have a hard time opening up and expressing their feelings. Years of cultural expectations telling us, “boys don’t cry,” and “man up,” or “be a man,” have done some severe damage. This damage includes not speaking up when we feel anxious, depressed or even suicidal. Journaling is a practice that can help to combat this issue.
13 reasons why we should be journaling
- Journaling provides a safe space to get all those messy feelings off our chest
- It’s a way to organize our thoughts
- Writing can be a creative art form; we might end up writing more than just a journal
- Journaling can be used as a tool to develop an action plan to overcome obstacles
- It’s a stepping stone: once we become comfortable with our thoughts, by writing them down, we can then begin verbally communicating them to others
- Journaling provides an opportunity to review how far we’ve come in our journey
- We can use journaling to shift our mindset to one of gratitude by listing things we appreciate
- No one is going to judge you based on what you write in your journal
- Writing a daily journal allows us to cultivate positive mental habits, it becomes a daily ritual
- Plus, it’s an opportunity to spend quality alone time with just you
- Whether we journal on a laptop or in a notebook, we can take a journal with us anywhere
- It’s fun
- Journaling lowers anxiety, stress, and improves our sleep
Do you journal?
If so, why? What are some of the benefits you’ve experienced?
If you don’t journal why not and what’s stopping you from trying?
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Originally Published on charlesminguez.com
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Photo by Alejandro Escamilla on Unsplash