A Mental Musing: Benefits and Tips to Journaling (Guest Blog)

Journaling does wonders for me in a variety of ways. And I wish I'd devoted more time to it when I was younger. This week, I’m sharing a great article from a fellow blog. Yes, it’s geared toward students, but aren’t we all students in this crazy study of life? 

Thank you, Psychology Writing, for sharing your wisdom and tips! 

Be well. 💜

~Aspen

HomeBlog How to Start & Keep a Mental Health Journal – Tips for Students

How to Start & Keep a Mental Health Journal – Tips for Students

Author

PsychologyWriting

Dec 12th, 2022

8min read

When was the last time you wrote in your journal? Many people associate keeping a journal with their childhood and the old-fashioned cliche “Dear Diary…”. However, modern research has shown that journaling has numerous benefits for your mental and physical health. Writing in a diary can:

• lower your anxiety,

• improve your memory,

• boost your immune system.

If you happen to feel stuck, overwhelmed, or dissatisfied with your life, this is your sign that you need to start journaling now. In this article, we’ll discuss how journaling can be good for you — physically, mentally, and emotionally. Psychology Writing experts have also prepared some inspirational ideas for your mental health journal to overcome the fear of a blank page.

What Is a Mental Health Journal?

Mental health journaling is the act of keeping a record of your feelings, thoughts, insights, ideas, and more.

Your mental health journal may exist in many forms. It can be kept on paper or your computer, written or drawn. The idea behind the whole process is to make your thoughts clearer by getting them out.

Why Keep a Mental Health Journal?

For some people journaling can be challenging especially as building new habits takes time and effort. However, a mental health journal can help you in many ways.

Continue reading: How to Start & Keep a Mental Health Journal – Tips for Students

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Please feel free to share your thoughts on this week's Guest Blog.

Next week, I'll be back with something fresh and new.

~Aspen ✌️

A Book Musing: A Court of Thorns and Roses

The fiction is coming along but not fast enough. 😉 Check out the latest from my A Musing nonfictional shorts collection. 📚

A Book Musing: A Court of Thorns and Roses

By Sarah Maas

This book has been on my list for a very long time. My 5th graders recommended it, and I haven’t taught 5th grade since 2015. That being said, I hate paying full price for a book and will rarely do so. Funny enough, the books I want to read always find their way to me. Most recently, the Kindle version of this book went on sale, and I had digital points. FREE. Thank you. 

But much more importantly: I. Could. Not. Wait. 

Snug in my jammies on the couch with my dog, and I was ready to begin my journey. Yippie!

Meet Feyre, a strong huntress (human) singlehandedly taking care of her family. Well, that’s not sustainable, but it works as a hook. 

After killing a faerie on the human side of the wall, our heroine is to be the captive of an ancient immortal (faerie) for the remainder of her days in the faerie lands. A horrid place she only knows by legend.

Sigh. 

A faerie and fantasy story. Not at all what I wanted. 

At this point, I should probably explain that I didn’t even know what this book was about. Yes, it’s been on my reading list for YEARS, and I didn’t know what it was about. I knew it had a grade level of 11/12-year-old children chattering about it. And I knew it was (and still is) a wildly popular New York Times bestseller. The aspiring author in me has always wanted to know what Sarah Maas could do. And there was no way I was stopping now.

So I read on. The pages turned slowly at first, but it wasn’t long into the story that I began to really like Feyre. At first, I thought she was self-sacrificing, insolent, and hard-headed (and she was), but she was also wildly intelligent and fearless (redeemable qualities).

While in the faerie land, she was treated with kindness and respect. Once she realized her captor, Tamlin is a High Fae, and not at all the monster of legends (even if he was an actual immortal beast), she softened. Soon her anger and hostility toward Tamlin ignited into a fiery passion. 

Cue the love story.

I thought it might stall here. Not at all. 

Before long, this fairytale takes a much darker turn for all involved. Suddenly, there was much more at stake than a human girl and her short life.

I would tell you, but I don't want to ruin it. I can tell you this was where Maas got me, and I was hooked! Suddenly, I was unable to put the book down, reading late into the night. And that WAS what I was looking for. Yippie!

From that point on, Maas dazzled the reader (me) with magnificent imagery and a host of lively characters who truly brought a suspenseful, gripping, climactic storyline to life. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah Maas: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This story absolutely lived up to the hype. A tremendous five-star read. 

I can’t wait to cross paths with the next one!