Personal growth and positive transformation are not easy! It can be tough to decide where to start. On my own personal transformation journey, beginning a practice of journaling every morning is when I began to see my life change! Journaling is a powerful tool for personal development at any point in your day. But starting a practice of it as soon as you wake up has a few extra benefits!
Your journaling sessions don’t need to be long!
I started by adding journaling to my 5 Minute Morning Routine and worked my way up from there.
I saw so many benefits once I implemented this daily habit!
In just a few weeks I noticed…
- My physical symptoms of anxiety improved.
- I developed a stronger connection with my intuition.
- My manifestations came in faster.
- I had an easier time identifying and managing my emotions.
Here are the 7 best benefits that come with journaling first thing in the morning so that you can transform your life too!
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1. Journaling Helps Alleviate Anxiety and Depression
Journaling in the morning helps you tackle many symptoms commonly associated with fear and anxiety.
Of course, journaling at any time during the day can help as well!
But if you can squeeze in a quick journaling session before you check your phone or even get out of bed in the morning, you’re working to stop anxiety in its tracks! Morning journaling can help you to get ahead of your triggers.
If you’re actively working to manage your fears, I would recommend your journal prompts include a form of expressing your gratitude of some kind.
Over time this will help your brain default to positive associations when you first wake up rather than anything that could make you anxious.
In an article, from 2017, one study evaluated 32 healthy volunteers without any previous practice of mindfulness or meditation.
Scientists found that when the volunteers participated in gratitude meditations, they had a greater capacity for emotional regulation AND self-motivation than when participating in “resentment” meditations.
So keep that in mind the next time you’re cracking open that journal for your morning session!
Read More: 5 Unexpected Truths About Letting Go of Fear-Based Thinking!
2. You Will Reconnect With Yourself
In a world designed to draw attention away from the self, journaling first thing in the morning is the best way to give a little time back where it matters.
Take the time to center your thoughts before you get your day started. No matter the other responsibilities you have on your plate, you’ll be able to perform them with a clearer mind!
I’ve found that journaling when I first wake up has been the best way to cope with my anxiety. It allows me a few minutes each day to connect with my inner voice.
Learning how my intuition sounds made it easier for me to recognize the difference between my anxious thoughts and ones that support my highest good.
Meditation can definitely help with this too. But journaling can be a skill that is a little easier to pick up!
Read More: How to Identify Your Inner Voice In a World That Distracts You From It!
In a world designed to draw attention away from the self, journaling first thing in the morning is the best way to give a little time back where it matters.
Kayla Sharee, Tending Your Transformation
3. Journaling in The Morning Can Redirect Your Brain’s Reward System
There is a pretty good chance that you check your phone right when you wake up. Even if you know you shouldn’t, it’s a habit that can be difficult to break!
When you check your phone first thing in the morning, you subject your thoughts and your mood to whatever content you see first.
You are basically playing Russian Roulette with your emotions daily! And you deserve to be in charge!
Regulating your emotions throughout the day becomes easier when you start your day off positively. A mindful and wellness-driven journal session can impact your brain’s reward system.
Throughout the day, you may look for more healthy habits that give you that same feeling. So that this time, your dopamine high is coming from a healthier place.
Now you’re rewarded by habits that make you feel good about yourself. And the more days you do it, the more it becomes a habit! Which is what we’re all about!
Here’s to starting new healthy habits!
4. You Can Use Journaling To Manifest
One of my favorite ways to use my morning journal session is to use it as a manifestation “shortcut”. In my Build a Better Morning Routine Journal, I use the Affirmations and Ideas section to write down how I imagine my day turning out.
What I’d like to see, who I would like to see, and even small details to really work my manifestation muscles.
Another way to incorporate manifestation into your morning journal session is to use gratitude!
That’s right!
Express how grateful you are for things you’re still working towards.
You can write something like, I am so happy that I was approved for the brand new apartment I applied to. Or I am so thankful for all the creative ideas that flow through me.
It’s a great compact way to express gratitude and still be mindful of what your heart desires. It’s a win-win!
Leave a comment and let me know what you’re currently manifesting!
5. Gives You a Sense of Control
When life gets tough and your mental health is holding on by a thread, journaling in the morning can help you regain a sense of control.
There can be so many times that our circumstances feel out of our control! And that can double when we actively take on a personal healing journey!
When times like these begin to take their toll, all we can do is sit back and let life happen.
A great way to make it through is to focus on what we can control! No matter how small the tasks may seem.
Doing this in the morning is the best way to ground ourselves in reality.
Let your daily routine be your anchor!
That way, you don’t get lost in the chaos, and we can remember that tough times are only temporary!
Receive Your FREE printable 5 Minute Morning Routine Habit Tracker!
6. You Can Track Your Dreams
If you are someone with vivid dreams, pay attention! This one is for you. Journaling before you get out of bed in the morning is the best way to start a dream journal!
My favorite one by far is this journal from Amazon it has plenty of space to track your dreams daily as well as illustrated explanations of what different symbols may mean when they appear in your dream world!
Dreams are often a symbolic reflection of what is currently going on with our subconscious state of mind.
If you’re on a personal growth journey and are working to become aware of and change your limiting beliefs, you can learn a lot from your dream patterns!
The more you get into the habit of tracking your dreams, the more you will begin to remember them. This makes keeping track of your dreams a great tool!
You can start to draw parallels between your dreams and your waking life. Which will help you get a better idea of what you may be going through.
7. Journaling is A Form of Self-Care
If you are someone who wants to establish a lengthy, luxurious morning routine, adding in journaling is the way to go!
Snuggling up in a warm space with your cup of coffee, a quiet corner, and your journal is the ultimate act of self-care in the morning.
Establish self-care routines that you can go to when you’re feeling like you need to recharge! It takes all the guesswork out of trying to figure out how to cope when you’re feeling stressed.
So if creating a lengthy mindful morning routine is on your list of to-do’s, check out my Build a Better Morning Routine Journal Series!
It will help you work your way up to the aesthetic morning routine of your dreams! And it comes with affirmations already included so you don’t have to come up with your own!
[…] Journaling frequently is a great way to get in touch with your inner voice because you can freely express yourself without fear of judgment or outside influence. […]