I've journaled since I was 8. The results are still changing my life.

I thought journaling was helping me process difficult experiences. My therapist told me it might be making them stronger. I've been journaling for 35 years. Through moving from Hong Kong to Canada, becoming a firefighter, Hurricane Katrina, motherhood, career changes, and some of the hardest seasons of my life. But somewhere along the way, I made a mistake that many people make when journaling: I confused processing with rumination. In this video, I share: • how I started journaling at 8 years old • the gratitude journaling habit that changed my life • the journaling mistake my therapist helped me uncover • the difference between journaling and rumination • research from James Pennebaker and gratitude studies on mental health • how brain dump journaling helped me as a mom of two • the journaling practices I still use today If you've ever wondered: Am I journaling correctly? Can journaling make anxiety worse? What's the difference between journaling and rumination? How do I process difficult emotions without getting stuck? This video is for you. After 35 years of journaling, I learned that writing isn't just about getting thoughts out of your head. It's about how you write them. 💛 Let me know in the comments: What does your journaling practice look like? Subscribe for motherhood, emotional regulation, nervous system tools, personal growth, and practical ways to become the person you want to be. #Journaling #MentalHealth #PersonalGrowth #EmotionalRegulation #Motherhood Sources Wong et al. 2016 RCT — gratitude letters in counselling: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27139... Kini et al. 2016 fMRI — three-month residual effect: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26746... Pennebaker — expressive writing protocol: https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/spe... Greater Good UCB summary of gratitude research: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/arti...