Mental clarity is becoming a precious token in a world of chaos. So how can we escape? How can we build a strong system that saves us from all the fatal distractions?
With everything around you asking for your attention, achieving mental clarity can be challenging. And the non-ending responsibilities that come with being an adult don’t make it any easier. So WE should find ways to take care of our mental health avoiding any possible damage. One of the strongest techniques to achieve that is the one and only, Journaling.
Journaling is way more than pen and paper, it builds that connection between you and your thoughts and makes it easier to process what’s going on. So let us take that step and discover why and how to journal for mental clarity!
What is mental clarity and why is it important:
Mental clarity is the state of a focused mind. It defines the ability to think clearly and focus on present events and activities without being distracted by your surroundings.
Without mental clarity, we are distracted. We make poor decisions, feel disconnected from ourselves, unaware of our emotions, and simply helpless. Mental fog, stress, and overwhelm throw clarity out of the window. And left with a fragile mind, we are barely functional.
As a distracted generation, with a busy life full of notifications, worries, and stress sources, mental clarity is easy to lose. You and I cannot deny that if we do not put in the effort, our minds are almost always buzzing, not allowing us to focus on the “now”.
The importance of mental clarity lies in the quality of our lifestyle! It helps us reach our real potential because all our skills are compounded in one place at a time. Naturally, this affects all aspects of life, from work and professional careers to daily life and social relationships. So let’s never ignore how clear our minds are.
The benefits of journaling for mental clarity:
The ability to connect with your inner self
Writing makes the abstract contract in just a few moments. It transforms your not-very-clear ideas into a structured piece you can study and comprehend. And by doing so, you take a step toward understanding yourself.
If you think about it, staying connected to your inner self is one of the most important things you deserve to do. It allows you to LISTEN to your real voice telling you what’s right and wrong for you. And to UNDERSTAND your needs better, and of those around you. With a stable journaling habit, you can work your way to this level of connection that opens doors of clarity for you!
Maintaining a healthy mind and body
Keeping a journal for mental clarity improves your overall health. Mental health and inner peace save you unnecessary energy that you may waste on worries and overthinking. And the less the stress the stronger the body (I heavily approve)
Nowadays, especially within our generation, the vast majority deal with stress and anxiety. Not all bodies can bear that heavy pressure and it causes both mental and physical discomfort. So writing for mindfulness and keeping a clear healthy mind is becoming much more crucial.
Taking care of your mental state continuously will make it easier to keep a healthy body! And a little journal on your side will help you along.
It boosts self-confidence
Self-confidence is a real game-changer!
Let me break it down for you; journaling is a tool to access your deep mind and thoughts, to self-reflect on your experiences and hardships, making you unbreakable.
Someone who understands his feelings, reflects on his past, and plans wisely for his goals is eventually confident. And journaling allows you to do all that through reflective writing and so on.
Improves emotional intelligence
One of my favorites! Emotional Intelligence is a set of skills that some people can naturally be good at. Yet, like any other skill, they can be developed and worked on.
Writing has been proven to improve emotional intelligence. Whether it’s positive writing that helps you stay optimistic, or writing to achieve emotional processing for harder moments and denied feelings.
Keeping a journal is a guaranteed way to implement that improvement in your daily life, and become more emotionally intelligent in a matter of time.
How to Journal for mental clarity:
The benefits are now clear. What’s left are the mental clarity techniques you can apply in your journal and I mention:
Build an easy Journaling Routine
The key to building any habit is to make it accessible and clear. The more it’s easy for you to journal, the more you will. So what I recommend is always having your journal and favorite pen around. And get used to running to that corner whenever you need.
Keeping a journaling habit is about understanding your needs and learning when it’s most beneficial for you. This could be daily, weekly, or only when needed on hard days. Having a nice cute journal, a desk or little journaling table, and making yourself comfortable is all a process of building that routine.
Try Morning Pages
Morning pages are simply pages you start your day with to clear your mind. It has a whole community you can join and get that daily journaling practice in.
Apparently, writing first thing in the morning helps you set your mind for clarity for the rest of the day. As if you organize the chaos before you leave. You free some space for your processor to tackle the tasks effectively. It is no secret that morning activities can set your mood in just a few minutes. So why not spend it writing, reflecting, and decluttering your busy mind?
Practice Braindumps
Braindumps is one of my favorite words ever. And let me tell what it’s all about:
It consists of Pouring your mind -randomly and without hesitation- into paper. When you are feeling lots of emotions, or worrying about many things at a time, you can set your thoughts free and write them down. It allows you to visualize and organize whatever flows in your mind to understand it better.
We write braindumps to help us navigate:
- Stressful periods
- Decision making
- Procrastination and lack of discipline
- Burnouts or depression
- Literally, any other moment where you feel like you need to write or vent
To do so, either keep your journal close and reach it or use this tip of mine. When my journal is out of sight and I have something in mind to write, I scramble it on white paper, make it messy and real, then attach it or glue it to my journal later. I don’t know about your journaling aesthetic, but for me it works just fine!
Make Lists
Lists are my life savers. Whenever something goes wrong, I start turning it into a list.
- A list of what’s annoying me
- A list of things I should do
- A list of big ideas occupying my mind
- A list of creative ideas for a project
- A list of lessons I still haven’t revised
And it goes on and on and on with all the lists you can make. It allows you to visualize the mess of your thoughts and helps you make the next decision or prioritize your tasks very fast.
Follow Guided Journaling Prompts
Journaling prompts give you ideas to write about when you can’t think of any. It gives you ready templates to pick your pen and fill in the blank. You can find prompts for any journaling type depending on your goal.
For mental clarity, here is a little list to try:
Conclusion
Dear reader, I hope you are now aware that mental clarity journaling is a simple tool yet powerful to keep your well-being on track. By dedicating a couple of minutes a day, you guarantee a peaceful mind, clear vision, and stronger intuition to go on with your responsibilities.
To find the journaling habit that suits you, you should stay flexible, and experiment with your time. List-making, instant braindumps, or even morning pages are all interesting and worth the hype. So try them, and let me know!
I agree! Journaling is so powerful. Nice article!
I do morning pages and brain dumps everyday, just to get everything out. Which usually leads me to make out a to do list. Which is also helpful.
Thank you so much for this post and the journal prompts. I journal every day and some days I’m stuck on what to write. I will refer to these prompts to help!
Thanks for the advice! Writing for pleasure always clears my mind and I’ll be sure to use these tips from now on!
Glad I can help! Have fun with your journaling sessions.
This is an elaborate article that goes deeper into journaling and its connection with mental health, cognitive abilities, and mindfulness. I like how you have provided practical tips and prompts for readers on journaling. Your other posts draw on nice themes and activities too – “Harry Potter, Fall-inspired ideas..” Keep writing!
Thank you so much. I’m happy to serve and I appreciate your support!
I love to journal but don’t do it often enough. There are so many benefits as you have outlined above and I need to get back to it. Thanks for sharing this as a reminder to me.
I love journaling! In the past, I was doing morning pages but then fell off track. Despite that, I still make sure to write at least one page before going to bed 🙂