Benefits of Journaling: Brain Dump

Hey friend!

I’m sure you’ve heard of or read about the many benefits of journaling. But if you haven’t, here’s a few benefits according to a brief Google search. Journaling provides mental clarity, builds self-awareness, relieves stress, develops emotional intelligence, enhances creativity, improves mindfulness, builds better memory, enhances writing skills, etc. I’m sure if I kept searching I could find over fifty reasons to journal. But the point is, journaling is beneficial. 

If you’re anything like me, then you want the benefits, but may not necessarily have a lot of time to spend journaling, and that’s okay. I’m going to share with you one of my favorite ways to get the benefits of journaling in a short amount of time. It’s called “brain dump.” 

All you need is a writing utensil (pencil, pen, marker, etc.) and something to write on; be it a piece of paper, a napkin out of your glove compartment, or the back of your Target receipt. Now, give yourself 60 seconds minimum. I want you to write down whatever comes to your mind in those 60 seconds. It may be words, phrases, sentences, emotions, or expressions. They may flow together coherently or be completely random. That’s okay, just dump! Dump every thought into that paper. Once 60 seconds is up, stop writing and dispose of your paper. You can throw it away like regular, OR you can get creative and experience added benefits by either ripping the paper to shreds or balling it up and shooting it into the trash can, that’s really an imaginary basketball hoop. My last recommendation I make with great caution. You can choose to light the paper on fire and burn it. Please use caution and common sense when doing this. Remember, safety first!

And there you have it! You’ve just experienced some of the benefits of journaling in only 60 seconds. Of course you can increase the time as much as you’d like and make any adjustments to tailor this exercise to your specific needs. I like to “brain dump” when I’m feeling overwhelmed or right before bed so I can clear my mind. Do whatever works best for you. 

I’d love to hear about your experience doing this journaling exercise so be sure to comment down below. 

Be well.

-Shonna ✌🏽😊