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Is it better to journal in the morning or at night?
Studies show it’s better to journal at night because it gives you an outlet for emotions and thoughts that might otherwise keep you awake. Studies have shown that the emotional release that comes from keeping a journal helps to lower anxiety and stress, and even helps you achieve a better night’s sleep. Writing, like anything, improves with practice. When you journal every day, you’re practicing the art of writing. And if you use a journal to express your thoughts and ideas, it can help improve your communication skills. While some can write for hours at a time, researchers say that journaling for at least 15 minutes a day three to five times a week can significantly improve your physical and mental health. Stosny believes that journaling can take a negative turn when it wallows in the unpleasant things that have happened to you, makes you a passive observer in your life, makes you self-obsessed, becomes a vehicle of blame instead of solutions, and makes you live too much in your head. Rereading Journals is a Valuable and Powerful Activity. We not only keep journals and find the process of writing in our journal valuable. We also often reread our journals, for all sorts of reasons. This rereading experience can be just as valuable and powerful as the initial writing experience—sometimes, even more so …
What should I journal before bed?
Here are 50 writing prompts for nighttime to incorporate into your daily routine that will help you fall asleep faster and get you one step closer to living your best life. What’s on your mind right now? What was the best part of your day today? What’s one thing that went right today, and one thing that went wrong? Journal three things you’re grateful for every day. Journal your problems. Journal your stresses. Journal your answer to “What’s the best thing that happened today?” every night before bed. Studies show it’s better to journal at night because it gives you an outlet for emotions and thoughts that might otherwise keep you awake. Journaling is a key morning routine habit of many highly successful people. Morning is the optimal time of day for stream-of-consciousness daily practice. Your morning brain is fresh. Write your pages before you fill your head with any outside influences. 6. What are morning pages? Morning pages are brain dumps: three pages straight, first thing in the morning. It’s stream-of-consciousness writing. The point is to write every thought that comes into your head and hold nothing back—even if that thought is, I don’t know what to write in these morning pages.
What time should I start journaling?
Morning is the optimal time of day for stream-of-consciousness daily practice. Your morning brain is fresh. Write your pages before you fill your head with any outside influences. Studies show it’s better to journal at night because it gives you an outlet for emotions and thoughts that might otherwise keep you awake.
Should I journal every night?
Bedtime journalling is a great way to clear your mind and has been scientifically proven to help you get a better night’s sleep. Getting all your emotions onto paper with some bedtime journal prompts will clear your mind, allow you to rest and fully prepare for the day ahead. Journaling helps keep your brain in tip-top shape. Not only does it boost memory and comprehension, it also increases working memory capacity, which may reflect improved cognitive processing. Boosts Mood. But journaling isn’t for everyone. Some people find that it doesn’t feel calming or fulfilling and the stress of finding the “perfect” words to put on paper can be overwhelming. As a child, I would get super excited every time I got a new diary or notebook—and then stress out if I missed writing for a few days. Both depression and anxiety are often accompanied by negative thoughts. Journaling allows you to get these thoughts down on paper, process them in a more analytical, non-emotional way, and then respond appropriately to them. Journaling forces me to articulate my internal experience. So, it may be the first time I put something sad or intense into words, and that brings up emotions. Often, it’s a relief. Sometimes it’s a realization of how upset I actually am. Writing, like anything, improves with practice. When you journal every day, you’re practicing the art of writing. And if you use a journal to express your thoughts and ideas, it can help improve your communication skills.