I’ve been journaling regularly now for over a decade. It started out as notes I’d make of little inspiring quotes. Then I added lessons I wanted to remember, observations I’d made, silly doodles and so on. Intuitively I’ve always known that writing a journal is a big help for me but here are a few less known reasons I’ve discovered. Firstly, journaling helps with stress, anxiety and depression. Writing out both positive and negative thoughts puts things into perspective and stops my reptilian brain from just focusing on my fears. Journaling does some of the good things you’d imagine like clarifying goals and improving self discipline, but it can also act as a great brain workout, stretching IQ and building emotional intelligence. I’ve found it really helps by me to better understand myself and sort through problems. More than anything for me, it sparks my creative juices. Now I keep separate journals for multiple purposes. I combine drawing, writing, questioning, analysis and sketching out concepts. What I love is how I seem to resolve problems I never thought I’d answer and I find creative solutions I never would have imagined otherwise.

I’ve designed The Lost Art of Wellness Doodling, Colouring, Questioning Workbook to inspire anyone to start journaling.