The Recovery Plug

Some people find journaling appealing while others think it sounds like an incredibly boring activity. If you don’t currently write in a journal regularly, you might want to reconsider.  There are numerous benefits to recording your thoughts, life, and aspirations on a daily basis.   Journaling can help your memory, problem-solving ability, achievement, emotional health, and even your physical health.   Consider these benefits:   A journal serves as a record of your life.  Have you ever thought back on your high school or college days and thought, “What was his name?” Or have you ever wondered if a particular event happened in 1996 or 1997? A journal is a useful way to record the significant events in your life. A journal can be cathartic.  When you get the tough stuff out on paper, you feel better.  Journaling gives your emotional health a quick boost. You view your challenges in a new way.  Things look different in your head than they do on pape...

Most of us live busy lives. Often, we're so busy juggling tasks and responsibilities that we forget to take the time to do the things that bring us happiness. Unfortunately, a lack of joy in your daily life can lead to unhappiness, and it can even have long term negative consequences on your health. Several well-known studies demonstrate that positive emotions, such as joy, have a profound effect on your health. One such study entitled "Positive Emotion and Health: Going Beyond the Negative," was published in the July 2005 issue of Health Psychology. According to this study: Joy and optimism provided a 51% reduction in the rates of heart disease among men who were followed for 10 years during the study. Positive emotions such as joy and hope not only reduce the incidence of heart disease, but they also have a protective effect against high blood pressure, diabetes, and upper respiratory infections. Thankfully, no matter how busy your life may be, there are steps you can ...