Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Journaling as a Catalyst

This is a very interesting and very important article touching a valid topic which might be close to you or someone close to you -  sent over to me by Melanie Bowen, a blogger and contributor to  Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance blog. I recommend you read it, share it and spread a word about it...


Journaling as a Catalyst

All of us have serious goals, desires and wishes that we want to accomplish in the future. With luck, most of us will be able to finish off most of these important goals and desires. However, many of us will struggle to achieve these goals due to a serious illness, which robs our energy and steals our ability to finish these goals.

However, a serious prognosis like mesothelioma, diabetes, AIDS, multiple sclerosis or any other disease doesn't have to rob you of your dreams. One of the best ways to keep yourself focused on achieving these dreams is to use a journal as a catalyst to reaching your goals. It may seem trite, but a journal can have serious health benefits that can extend beyond your illness.

Writing down your goals can serve as a tangible reminder
to achieve these goals. Listing them off keeps them fresh in your mind, keeping you focused on what you can do to get to where you want to go and the steps you are taking to achieve them. Write each step of your progress down in the journal to keep them fresh in your mind and working to actively motivate you to achieve more.

Being motivated in this way can help boost your mood and serve as a distraction from your condition. You should of course journal about the progress of your treatments and the ways your disease makes you feel. However, you should also move beyond your disease. Focusing on other aspects of your life helps remove the control your disease has over your body. It helps to remind you that you not just a number and not just a patient.

One way to move beyond your disease is to focus on a "bucket list." Come up with truly exciting and thrilling activities to add to this list, such as sky diving, traveling to a distant country, meeting anew people, and installing a pool in your home and many others. These bucket list items help keep your life exciting and move you beyond the definition of your disease.

Journaling has many health benefits beyond serving as a motivation method. It may actually be able to improve your health in tangible ways. According to Dr. James Pennebaker of the University of Texas, writing actually seems to strengthen immune cells. They found this was especially true of writers that were journaling. These immune cells help relieve the symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis in ways that are exciting to a wide range of researchers and patients.

Start a journal today to help catalog your desires, wishes and goals. It may have benefits you may not have ever foreseen.


Melanie Bowen
http://miladyknows.blogspot.com

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