Think back to the last time you opened a blank journal, picked up a pen and just started to write. Was it this week’s grocery list? When you took notes in college? Wrote your junior high crush a love note? Or maybe when you penned an epic story of friendship and betrayal based on your 5th grade ex-best friend? The last one was probably just me…
In the last few decades, our day to day written communication has become almost exclusively digital. We send email, we text, we type any long form content on a keyboard, onto a screen and to be fair, we do it all for good reason. Digital writing is quick, efficient and accessible; we NEED to be able to type our words and send them right away. But what about the simple beauty and vital mental care of picking up a pen and writing out those words on paper? Let’s take a look at that.
I started a journaling habit this year in earnest. I’ve written words in notebooks my whole life, hence my current career, but it’s always been sporadic and without real purpose; I was documenting intensely boring days or bemoaning another personally perceived wrong. This year, however, I began to not only record my thoughts but to write with a focused intention or question and when I felt at a loss for words, take a beat and listen a bit closer to what was rolling around in my head. I began to explore my inner voice, what my intuition was trying to tell me, what I truly wanted/needed/dreamed of in this life and I was finding some calm amongst the chaos.
The Benefits of Pen to Paper
I also started to explore the research behind pen to paper writing and was surprised to learn that the cognitive benefits go beyond simply emptying your head and organizing your thoughts…
- Writing on paper with a pen forces the brain to slow down, increasing concentration and reflection.
- Opening a journal to write, and not opening your laptop, immediately eliminates online distraction and allows for more focus. Less screen time is also an added bonus.
- Physical writing allows for a better mind-body connection and a deeper emotional dive. Have you ever noticed that you write sloppier when you’re upset, scared or anxious? Maybe your handwriting become cleaner and more precise when you’re feeling at peace? The WAY you write can be indicative of how you’re feeling.
- Creativity is boosted because the physical act of writing fires up so many areas of the brain…so open that journal and let the juices really start to flow!
Nothing to loose and everything to gain! Also if you’re a stationary junky like I am, the word of beautiful journals is endless. I personally love the Baronfig hardcover notebooks; they lay flat, have sturdy covers and come in a variety of sizes and colors. But maybe you have a spiral notebook laying around, or even a stack of printer paper…the medium is inconsequential, it’s the act that is important.
Take some time today and write a little bit. You might have something floating around in your head that’s ready to pour out or maybe you need a bit of a push with a prompt (check out my Instagram account for weekly journaling inspo) but give it a try! Journaling can strengthen, deepen and explore part of yourself you didn’t know needed the attention, so pick up that pen and just write.
