Journaling as an art form, is a way to express your feelings, unwind and introspect on ourselves and our day. Whether it's noting down your daily progress or making pretty collages, journaling not only is an engaging hobby but also has proven to have many mental health benefits attributed to it. Do you want to know how it can affect your sleeping patterns?
Read on to find out more
One can pick up a pen and scribble in their journal at any point of the day, but doing so at night has its own benefits even to the extent of improving your sleep quality. Sleep is one of the primary functions for living organisms and their survival since the beginning of time, and is most vital for rejuvenation of the mind and body. During the restful, uninterrupted time before you go to bed, journaling will allow you time to process your day and prevent you from thoughts ebbing their way into your sleep cycle. The memories will be fresh to document, and it will help you give closure to your day as you prepare for the next.
Consciously tracking your day will also help you replace negative habits, as you document you will be self-aware of your actions and words, to then take an active step towards your own well-being. This process will help you prioritise your goals, and help you cope with your fears and concerns. Journaling can also be used for tracking sleep patterns and charting your own productivity levels. You can find out whether you are a night owl or an early bird, re-route your sleeping patterns from having late working nights to being in sync with the Sun.
Journaling also gives room to allow thinking about the future, planning your day ahead, and being prepared for what is to come. Not only do you feel more confident for your actions, but one also has a chance to contemplate about different possibilities that would take place, making you prepared and ready for anything that is thrown onto you.
A few prompts you can use to quickly journal at night-
- Your mood patterns throughout the day.
- A small thing that made you smile.
- One task for the next day.
- Any frustrations, ill feelings and fears, and how you will work towards it.
- Reconnecting with a friend or family member.
- One green habit you wish to inculcate in your life.
Lastly, it ends your day without the harmful blue light from all your devices. All of us have garnered a habit of starting and ending our days with our phones. A detox from all the digital media will provide relief to your eyes, and help you sleep faster as you lay in bed as compared to hours of endless scrolling on Instagram, use this as a prompt to take a small step towards your mental wellbeing and sleep hygiene.