Habits of a Healthy Mind: Journaling

Have you ever tried journaling? Journaling can help us keep our minds healthy by giving us a way to organize our thoughts.

Have you ever experienced your mind just swirling with random thoughts to the point where you can’t focus on any one thought? Journaling can help you pause and slow down to navigate the thoughts that are melting your mind.

Journaling allows you to look back and see where you come from. It is cool to see all that God has brought you through. Journaling gives a tangible way to show how God has worked over time.

In my life, God has come through time and time again. It is encouraging to me to have a visual reminder to go back and read the ways God has shown up for me.

There are many avenues and ways to journal. You can journal about your thoughts, things going on in your life, your feelings, or your prayers. Anytime we take time away from the normal pace of life can be good for our mind. How much better is that time if we make sure to incorporate Jesus? When journaling, bring God into it. Desire God to come and make Himself known as He helps you work through whatever you are thinking about.

Journaling can help us acquire a different perspective without involving others. We need community and there is a time and place for community, but sometimes you just need to sit in your thoughts and feelings. Journaling can help bring thoughts out of your brain and on to paper. This can help you process whatever you are going through.

As Christians we should desire to grow in Christ and as human beings. We are called to support people, but this is not always easy. It is definitely harder to love people well when we are inwardly struggling. God will help us through whatever comes our way. We can count on that. However, we should strive to take care of our mental state.

We should actively and intentionally try to take care of our mental and spiritual health. Journaling is one of many tools that can potentially help us grow and live better. Journaling works best in conjunction with lots of prayer, reading your Bible, and other helpful habits.

We should always strive to live on mission for Christ. Jesus took time away from others to spend time with God. We should follow that example. Journaling can be a great way to get away and spend time with God.

Journaling opens a new door to writing down your prayers and handing over your dreams and desires to God. This can help you live with an openness to see what God would like you to do in your life. It can make you more open and better prepared to live on mission for God. As we grow, we can look to give out of the same love we have been given and serve others, even though we are struggling as well.

In a fast-paced world, it is rare to find a place to slow down and be completely open. There is a benefit to making time to sit and journal, to set time aside to think and to reflect. Sometimes you need to work through your thoughts and the season you are currently in. Journaling can help you personally grasp what is going on in your life.

In my life, journaling has helped me grow. It has given me time to reflect before and after I make decisions. It has helped me understand more about myself. It helps calm my mind when life gets chaotic. It is cool to see how things I was praying for a year ago worked out and it is a testament to God’s goodness. God can work through anything, but the silence of journaling in my life has allowed Him to provide clarity and peace.

I want to encourage you to journal. Give it a chance. Journaling is not so much about getting it right. There is not a wrong way to journal. Figure out what works for you and go with it.