PORTLAND, Maine — Whether you’re looking to destress, organize your thoughts, or just work your brain in different ways, journaling can help.
Dr. Allyson Coffin from Align with Wellness joined 207 to share the health benefits of taking time each down to write or draw in a journal.
Coffin said physically picking up something to write in, as opposed to writing on a computer, activates many areas of the brain.
She added that journaling, which uses the planning and decision-making part of our brain, can help decrease stress and anxiety. Journaling also works the part of our brain used for storytelling, and long-term memory, and activates the motor area of your brain intensely.
Coffin said to think of your brain in a sense of, "If you don’t use it, you lose it."
“If you don’t exercise, you turn into a blob. And if you don’t use your brain, your brain is going to turn into mush too,” Coffin said.
Coffin added that journaling doesn’t have to be about writing. She said many people like to draw in their journals, and that can have the same impact.