The benefits of journaling are multi-faceted, and vary between individuals. If you have a chronic illness, you may find that the symptoms become less troublesome.
Expressive writing has helped people suffering with asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, IBS, and lupus – even cancer and AIDS. It helps many people with different long- term illnesses, because it boosts the immune system. This book evaluates and presents the medical evidence for journaling, which has been steadily growing over the past thirty years.
If your life is highly pressured, journaling is an excellent stress- management tool. Stress is a huge factor in many physical and mental health problems and compromises the immune system. Therapeutic writing appears to have a protective effect against stress and possibly acts as a release valve.
Journaling helps you manage your life and avoid burnout. If you have many responsibilities at work and at home, and have to juggle the needs of children or elderly parents with a demanding career, you can easily become weary. Paradoxically, therapeutic writing will help you avoid exhaustion by learning to prioritize tasks and care for your own needs holistically. You will learn to live life proactively and mindfully so that you are not just responding to each and every crisis with a knee-jerk reaction. – says Mari L. McCarth