Everyone is in a hurry these days. We are constantly late for work, we miss deadlines, and seem not to have enough time in our day, especially for things not related to our business. Thus, saving your notes and collecting valuable data in the diary is a task which is generally left without attention despite all of its benefits.
Given what a fast pace world we live in, no wonder we have no time for writing our thoughts down unless it’s on our Facebook page. Writing a diary seems like too much effort. So, we opt for writing a few good thoughts on the Internet instead of taking a pen (I wonder who still has it at home) and sharing the thoughts in a personal diary.
In fact, studies done by the Pen Heaven blog show that the number of people who are still writing a journal on a regular basis decreased by five times. However, keep in mind that this way you get to share not only good thoughts which present you in a good light but also some of the hard feelings which should remain private instead of becoming a public fair.
However, for those of you who still see no reason to find an old diary and start writing your thoughts and worries down in it, we have crafted an extensive list of benefits this activity might have for your health. So, get ready to be impressed with all the advantages such simple activity has for your physical well-being.
Six health benefits of writing a diary:
1. Enhanced brain activity
We all feel stuck at times. This is particularly the case for people frequently involved in crafting creative writing pieces like essays or articles. The thing is that people who write diaries boost their creativity by stimulating release of new hormones. Therefore, if you feel that you are stuck and, for instance, need help with your research paper, start writing a diary to promote your brain activity and come up with brilliant stuff faster.
2. Weight loss
It is scientific truth that people who write a diary lose weight faster than those ignoring this activity. We are not talking about a regular journal, though; individuals who are trying to lose weight are often asked to write down everything they consume throughout the day. Typically, doctors ask them to take a special notebook for this purpose, or in case they have none within reach at the moment, at least write everything down on some piece of paper. This habit of keeping track of one’s eating habits, as well as the fact that they get to see everything they eat on a daily basis, motivates them to avoid overeating and stay within reasonable limits.
Also, by taking notes when eating, you feel accountable to your doctor or whoever checks your daily ration. Thus, knowing that you will have to introduce someone to an extensive list of things you eat in one day helps you control your appetite and say no to things which are not healthy or necessary.
3. Better sleep
Psychologists claim that those who take notes before they go to sleep tend to be better sleepers. It is really surprising, isn’t it? The thing is that when you write down everything you are thankful for, somehow you find peace and can sleep without waking up in the middle of the night due to bad dreams.
You get to realise what a great life you have, so you calm down and fall asleep, satisfied and happy. And this is one of the keys to better sleep.
On top of that, some psychologists prove that praying before you go to sleep might have the same effect. However, writing a diary, even in the form of a prayer, can help you sleep better and feel much safer in life.
4. Improved nervous system functioning
You can try this one: whenever you feel like you are overloaded with emotions, you can always write all of them down. This way, you will feel much more relieved and will carry no burden of negativity and stress at all. You should not shout and ruin your relationships with people by pouring all your negative thoughts on them. However, when writing it all down in a diary, you get to organise your thoughts, save some nerves by not quarrelling with people around you and calm down by having your emotions written down. Your nervous system will dramatically improve.
5. Cancer healing
People say that once they started writing a diary and sharing all their thoughts and concerns in it, they experienced a significant relief. They began looking at their lives and illnesses differently; they gained back their desire to fight for life, and some of them even showed noticeable improvement in health conditions. Doctors do not provide official data on how such activity changes the way of thinking about life, but they still recommend it to improve attitude and quality of life of the patients.
6. Helps healing a broken heart
Our physical well-being depends a lot on how we feel about ourselves on the inside. Writing a diary can help when dealing with psychological problems like a broken heart or even early symptoms of depression. Being able to hear yourself out by writing all your thoughts down on a piece of paper has some magic in it. It calms you down, helps you see the way out, and gives you freedom from all the dark thoughts you are struggling with at the moment.
This is the useful information you should know about the health benefits of writing a diary. If it sounds like something you need, make sure to add this activity to a list of your daily tasks. Just save a few moments for it at the end of the day and pour everything in your heart on a piece of paper. Thus, you will improve your health and increase your creativity.
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Author: Sophia Clark
Sophia Clark graduated from the University in the City of New York with B.A. in Journalism, 2011. She is a creative writer from New York who loves to share her thoughts with readers, now she writes for BeforeWriting,com. In her free time she enjoys writing fiction as well as reading it. Her big dream is to publish a novel one day. Connect with her on Twitter and Google +.
