Journaling might be the easiest thing to do to fight stress and anxiety during pregnancy. In this time so many things are changing, that it’s hard to process. I know it was for me and keeping a diary helped me a lot to go through it. That’s why we’ve prepared a pregnancy journal for you, that you can download and print out as much as you want. And the best about it is that it’s for free! Check it out, it’s really worth it!
The benefits of journaling
It is one of those things, that nobody was doing 5 years ago and now somehow everybody is talking about it. Or actually - nobody was talking that much about doing it 5 years ago. Pregnancy diary or diary at all is not a new idea. But it can be a very useful tool, especially during pregnancy.
Let me walk you through different perks of actually writing in a diary on a regular basis. According to many different research (you can find multiple examples here: [https://www.academia.edu/Documents/in/Journaling]) there are vast benefits of keeping a journal, especially during pregnancy. To name a few:
It reduces stress
How often have you heard, that during pregnancy your biggest enemy is stress and you should avoid it all cost? And anybody telling you how to avoid it? Here it is - keep a journal. Journaling is a known tool (one of many) for fighting anxiety and even depression.
It boosts your mood
There is hardly something more satisfying after a difficult day, than to write about how shitty it was and then just… close the page! Your horrible day is over, you can start being excited about the next day to come!It improves memory
Also proven by research. You need to actually use your memory to remember what happened and write that down! And using your memory, practicing it, makes it better!
It improves creativity
Creativity has different angles to it. Maybe you can include some drawings in your journal? Or maybe just get better at writing? Sometimes simply looking back at situations and reflecting, allows you to get some completely new ideas! Use it!
It helps with sleep
It makes sense, that after you feel more relaxed and in a better mood, you also sleep better. Doesn’t it? It’s a very common issue during pregnancy - troubles with sleeping. Writing can help you with it as well!
It gives you a perspective
Sometimes it turns out, that maybe this horrible day was not that bad and a lot of nice little things have happened as well. It’s good to look back on things from the distance - it’s easier to appreciate the small stuff then.
It’s a beautiful thing to share
What a lovely thing it would be to share this experience also with someone, who was very much involved with this process - your baby! After many years, such things, little memories and messages of love are just immensely valuable!
Create a journaling ritual
Very often a main question, that comes up about pregnancy journaling is how to start. Remember - this is a tool for you! So always make it work with you, your rituals, your vibe and your mood.
However regularity is important to get the most out of it! That’s why I would like to recommend you creating a ritual. Ritual is something, that you do at a certain time. Wolf Mothers pregnancy journal is designed for a weekly ritual - at the start (or the end) of each week of pregnancy. But if you prefer to write daily - just print out more pages!
If you have troubles sleeping, I suggest you write in the evening. But any time of day will work. If you have a calendar, mark your time for writing there. Make yourself a nice cup of ginger tea, make the space for writing cosy, clean it up, light up a candle and make take the latest ultrasound picture with you to connect with your baby during journaling!
Another question is when to start journaling? You are pregnant for limited time only, but you can start as soon as you find out, even before telling anyone - writing in a diary can also help you keep your pregnancy a secret for as long as you want to (if you are keeping it a secret of course). And honestly, you can easily start writing in 39th week of pregnancy. Usually that’s when anxiety starts to kick in, so you might need an extra support.