Why Moms Need To Add Journaling To Their Self-care Routine

It’s no secret that being a mom is hard. Endless hours of caring for others and the stress that comes with it weighs heavily on all of us. Which is one of the reasons why the trend of self-care has been embraced and the importance of carving out time for yourself is being shouted from the rooftops.

Usually, self-care is depicted as bubble baths, facials, and a large glass of wine. And while those are all great ways to unwind after a long day, we really need to start taking self-care a little deeper. Making sure that we’re nourishing our mind and soul as well. So how can we do that? One of the easiest ways is to start journaling.

Why you need to start journaling

Journaling, the simple act of writing, is actually an incredibly powerful tool that has been proven to not only reduce stress but it can also boost your immune system and improve your health. And if doing something that can positively affect both your mental and physical health isn’t self-care I don’t know what it.

So what can journaling do specifically for moms?

It can reduce mom guilt – We’ve all experienced mom guilt, and one of the best ways to get past it is to write about it! Getting your thoughts and feelings down on paper allows you to honestly examine them and find what is triggering that guilt. Once you do that you’ll be able to come up with strategies to fix/overcome whatever that trigger is.

It can act as a time machine – We often have so much going on when our kids are young that we can easily forget the cute things they said or did, fun things we did with them and when they reached milestones. Journaling about your day gives you something to go back to, to help you remember all those little things years from now.

It’s a cheap form of therapy – Sometimes we have issues that we don’t want to discuss even with our closest friends. Writing those feelings or problems down in a journal gives you a way to process them and keeps you from internalizing them until they reach an unhealthy boiling point.

It can help you cultivate gratitude – We live in such a negative society and it’s so easy to get caught up in it and become to ungrateful for what we have. To overcome that we need to intentionally practice gratitude. Regularly writing down what/who we are thankful for and why is one of the best ways to genuinely cultivate gratitude.

How to start journaling

Journaling doesn’t need to be difficult or complicated. In fact one of the great things about journaling is how easy it is to do. All you need to do is;

– Start by setting aside 10-15 minutes a day ( I recommend in the evening after the kids are in bed)
– Find a comfortable place to sit down and write
– Write!

Seriously it’s that easy, do not over complicate it!

What to write in your journal

When you first start journaling it can be hard to know what to write about. Luckily when it comes to journaling the only limits you have are the limits you place on yourself. The most common styles/topics of journals are;

Daily reflections – What happened during your day and how it made you feel.
Journaling prompts – A prewritten list of journaling topics to help get you started.
A gratitude journal – What you’re grateful for that day
Morning pages – Stream of consciousness writing done first thing in the morning, a great way to get your creativity flowing!

When you first start journaling it can feel uncomfortable and awkward to write down your innermost thoughts and feelings. It can leave you feeling very exposed and emotionally vulnerable, which is something most of us generally avoid at all costs.

But that’s one of the beautiful things about journaling. It allows you to step out of your comfort zone and examine your thoughts in a whole new way. And doing that is what allows you to learn more about yourself and work through issues that are holding you back or weighing you down.

If the thought of having your innermost thoughts and feelings written down in a journal scares the crap out of you (it does for me!) then talk to your spouse and make sure that they can respect your privacy and understand that your journal is completely off-limit.

supplies

Honestly, the only supplies you need to journal are a notebook and a pen/pencil. BUT with that being said, having a cute notebook and a great pen can go a long way in keeping you motivated to journal regularly.

So what are you waiting for? Put pen to paper and start journaling tonight! Don’t forget to check back for new journaling prompts in the next few weeks!