Journaling: More Than Just a Cliché
- mabsnetworkbc
- Dec 2, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 12
Journaling—yes, to some people journaling may appear cliche, or something useless, or something that little kids do. In our younger years, I remember in my classes and for my English academy classes I was forced to journal, and did not enjoy it (maybe because I was forced to. Lol.)
But, recently this past year I started journaling again and it has helped me tremendously. So, I would love to share how I journal, and the benefits it has brought me as well as research-proven benefits of journaling.
Firstly, I’m not on a forced schedule to journal, or obsess about journaling every single day. I first started journaling during my biggest rut, because I was so overwhelmed and wanted to organize my thoughts. I basically write down all the things that are stressing me out, and sometimes categorize them into things I have control over and the things that I have no control over.
Sometimes I write about how my day has been, what I liked about it. Sometimes I write what I am grateful for, and how I feel like I became a better person than who I was the day before. I also really really enjoy writing a quote that empowers me, whether that was from a TEDx talk or an inspirational video on YouTube that I watched, or simply from Google. Another suggestion that my counsellor told me is to write a self-dialogue with a character of your choice! That could be Spider-Man, even Disney villains, or your future/past self, etc.
Journaling helps me control my emotions, reset, and look at my situation from a whole other perspective as it helps arrange my jumbled thoughts. According to studies, journaling has been shown to reduce stress. One study showed that even writing for 15-20 minutes a day three to five times over a span of four months was sufficient to lower blood pressure and improve liver functionality. It also helps your immune system function by decreasing symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. Moreover, it helps our cognitive processing, our overall well-being, and helps the brain regulate emotions.
Starting journaling may be daunting, but abandon that guilt of not being consistent or super and instantly motivated. Start where you are, and write; you don’t need to be perfect, as this is for you.
-Chloe Kim
Founder
MABS Network BC
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