I think journaling is the equivalent of putting on your own oxygen mask first. Being a mother is a full-time job, regardless of whether you stay at home or go out to work. Your mind is never really separated from your child/ren and their needs. We carry a heavy emotional load that never goes away, even when they grow-up and leave home one day.

Journaling is a powerful way to ease some of that emotional weight. We can write out our stresses, our fears, our joys and our triumphs. We can write so that we don’t lose ourselves along the way. We can write for clarity, for peace, for pleasure. We can write our way out of struggle and pain, and write our way into happiness and towards purpose. And we can do all of this whether we write 5 words, 5 paragraphs, or 5 pages.

Numerous studies have shown that journaling regularly can:

• reduce general depression and anxiety

• improve sleep

• help people feel more grateful

• decrease risk of illness

• boost memory

• help to ease trauma (side note here: if you are experiencing trauma please use journaling in conjunction with seeing a therapist.)

If you’d like to get started journaling today then grab this free download of prompts to get you started. You can also take my ‘Journaling Magic’ course - find out more here.