Journal for a Stress-Free Day

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Journaling has many benefits for both the mind and soul. It can help improve your quality of life and get you closer to reaching your goals. It can also help reduce mental fogginess and offers a safe space to work through ideas, thoughts and difficult moments. Start journaling today to reduce the stress in your life. 

Organize Your Thoughts 

Getting all of the thoughts buzzing around your head onto a piece of paper can offer mental quietness, leading to focus. Since we are bombarded with ever-increasing amounts of information each day, our brains must spend time filtering out what is and isn't important, which can be overwhelming. Writing your thoughts down can help drown out mental chatter, leading to focus and mental clarity. 

Outsourced Memory 

One of the greatest advancements of the human species was the invention of written language. By writing things down, our ancestors no longer had to remember everything, and memory was essentially externalized. This meant people’s attention span and energy were freed up to focus on other activates. In an age of information overload, freeing up our minds by writing down our to-do's, ideas, and more can lead to great benefits, one of which being mental clarity. 

Brain Dump 

Writing therapy has been shown to enhance personal growth and emotional development. Similarly, try writing down all your stresses, frustrations, and anxieties in the form of a brain dump, a concept popularized by author David Allen. By writing down the challenges and stresses you are facing, your mind can process the emotions and stressors associated with it and work past them. It can also help better understand the problem and assist in better decision-making.   

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you” - Maya Angelou 

Self-reflection 

When is the last time you stopped for a few moments to think about your life? Are you happy with where you are and where you are going? Taking the time to think through what you want for yourself and your family can be a powerful exercise. Like author Lewis Carroll said "if you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." 

Gratitude 

A daily gratitude practice has been shown to reduce stress and increase happiness. It offers us some time and space to pause for reflection for a few minutes each day, something few of us do in the 21st century. It can be as simple as writing down three things you are grateful for each day or take a step further and journal for five minutes a day on the things you are grateful for in your life, making sure to really feel the gratitude as you write.  

Lessons Learned 

Write down something you’ve learned each day. Discuss what went well and what didn’t go as planned. Be sure to dig deep and evaluate why things happened the way they did, and what you will do differently next time. This will help you focus your mind on continuous learning and self-improvement. Remember, small changes make a big difference.  

Daily wins 

Jot down both the big and small feats of each day. Use this as a safe space to give yourself recognition for your successes. It can be helpful to come back to this when you are having a tough day to remind yourself of everything you are capable of. 

Thoughts/ideas 

How frustrating is it when you have a lightbulb moment, but just minutes later, you can no longer remember the details of your great idea? Be sure to keep a notebook or journal handy to scribble down those Eureka moments so they aren’t forgotten. In essence, you can record ideas on the go. This will let you develop these ideas further without needing to do so in that exact moment.  

Get Started on Journaling Today 

Begin journaling today to reduce your daily stresses and bring focus to your day. Check out the 2 Minutes Today Journal or explore Nottai personalized notebook and personalized journal collections. 

 


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