This journal practice is increasing my mental clarity
This journal practice is increasing my mental clarity
Does journaling actually improve mental clarity? If so, how? These are the questions we answer in this video and the actual science is a bit surprising. One of the main benefits of journaling is mental clarity, but most people don’t really know why that is. That’s because most people don’t know how “thought loops” affect their brain. A thought loop is when you have anything that needs to be processed or solved. If it isn’t resolved it continues to circle in the background taking more and more energy. When it comes to productivity this is a big deal.
By the end of the day, we have accumulated more thought loops than we could possibly close. This is why often when we get in bed we find our minds spinning, trying to think about all these things all at once. But it turns out there’s a hack for this. The best way to close thought loops that are outside our control at the moment is by writing them down. The transfer to the paper activates our Reticular Activating System, which is responsible for immediate focus and the conversion of thought to memory. So writing something down, especially something distressing, it manually activates the brain’s ability to process that thought into memory.
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Did I forget anything?
Really liked the way you described all the information in the video! Thanks!
I’ve been journaling since before it was cool
.
I’ve been going strong for over 10 years now since I was in college. I needed to offload my thoughts.
I journaled by hand for a while and then migrated to digital journaling. I have over 1/2 million words in my digital journal (DayOne).
However, journaling by hand does seem to go deeper than journaling on a computer. I think the slowness of writing by hand helps.
There’s perks to both journaling in a computer versus by hand.
On a computer, referencing journals from years ago is easier. If I journal by hand, I rarely read back from what I wrote a year ago. You can also add pictures more easily on a computer if you’re recording events or add references.
Writing by hand though, does ingrain the thoughts in your brain more.
Writing in a computer doesn’t seem to close the loop as well. I can’t tell you how many months I have where the entries are more the same and it gets me frustrated that I’ve had the same loop for a month.
1:20 why the sound bro he sounded more wise in my head
I’ve been watching a ton of journaling-related YouTube videos since 2021. I appreciate it so much, but I’ve found it difficult to put my admiration into practice. I’ve accumulated a lovely assortment of notebooks, all of them apparently ideal for journaling, but the practice of journaling has stayed stuck in the realm of ideas rather than practice.
I made an effort to close this gap last year by downloading more than ten journaling apps, thinking of how convenient it would be to have them always available on my phone. But my attempts were short-lived; the longest period of regular journaling I could find only lasted three weeks before completely disappearing. Maintaining the routine felt insurmountable.
I saw a key shift in perspective after listening to your recent talk: I now see journaling as a conversation with a friend, a place where I can freely share everything that’s on my mind, from the little things that happen every day to the highs and lows of my emotions. I now recognize how important it is to write down my ideas instead of just putting them on file. Above all, your explanation of the "thought loop" notion really resonated with me and provided a fresh perspective on the procedure.
Austin, I want to thank you very much for your informative talk. I will try hard that from now on, I will start journaling with a pen and paper and enjoy the tactile closeness of handwritten words.
I’m amazed by this content. I recently read a similar book, and I was amazed by its quality. "Unlocking the Brain’s Full Potential" by Alexander Sterling
Major ‘light bulb’ moment. Thank you for this video.
Thank you for your video, it contains exactly what I needed to understand and hear today. It helped me a lot.
journaling is literally what my psychologist say when I got diagnosed with depression, I was literally can’t say anything at my first session of therapy, and he said you can just write down what you feel and think at daily basis and give it to me, and boy was it works.
Who is the girl from the video?
I just found you!!! I really like you way to explain and expose the video theme. Thanks!
Great video, great edit. Great content.
You’ve inspired me to start journaling.
*Pfft* we have this guy
*pfft* movin’ from greeks to this guy
Does digital journal (typing on keyboard) works like hand writing?
loved the video! I started journaling in 2016 when I was in a rough emotional spot, I then stopped for many years. Here I am back in 2024 journaling again. Also where can I get the same journal as yours it looks perfect to journal.
Man, just to help your mental clarity, Plato and his disciple Aristotle were born 6 centuries before Marcus Aurelius. So the timeline is odd, it’s like placing Michael Jackson before Leonardo da Vinci. lol
Every 15-20 years, a new generation figures this stuff out.
I have made daily entrees into my journal since i started a week ago and it helps.so much
Ive been journaling for a year and it was great, I mean I enjoy doing it and it keeps me sane. I love love this video, It’s editing and filming is so cool. You’re very underrated!
I’m so happy you explained the reason why it works, it brings alot of clarity and peace of mind knowing that writing WILL help and does work.
I really enjoy journaling.
Journaling rocks I put some note books in the comment .
It really has helped me in so many ways. I have so many journals and I go back and read them to see were I was in my life and what I’ve been through and we’re I am now in my life. I even had a tape recorder so I can listen to what I said as well. And I really enjoy listening to them .
I noticed that
Journaling really helped me in so many ways and it still helps me on going. I really enjoyed this video .
Thanks for making this type of videos . It’s much appreciated .
Thanks Austin .
I liked ur video I subscribed, I’m a simple person
@AustinSchrock Hi Austin, who is the guy at 4:20 or from what video ist this from? Couldn’t find a name or link in your description.
Thanks in advance
I barely write a comment on a channel but man that video is incredible! It’s the first time for me to hear about thought loops which explains to me why you could start a day badly without doing anything wrong or having an awful mood from nowhere, it’s my thoughts.
I forgot to empty my brain before bed which made the next day an exact same, like a round 2 for the previous day, you cannot fill what’s already filled.
This the 1st video I watch for you, I am impressed! Definitely worth subscribing for future awesome content! See u again I am getting back to my journal, to mental clarity. Thanks!
Marcus Aurelius is not "one of the first" to have written personal writings. Also, right after that you put Plato and Aristotle for some reason, but you put them as if they were after Marcus Aurelius. Plato and Aristotle are over 400 years before Aurelius. Oh, and then you skip Saint Augustine, who also wrote a famous journal, Confessions.
I will start journaling and start every entry with the phrase of "In the year of our lord…"
How do i start journaling ??
I watched your video twice to get all of what you said written down!
I have tried personal growth routines for years. If you’re just not a logically driven person, it’s such a difficult lifestyle. My ADHD brain was given tasks it could not fathom and now it doesn’t work properly anymore. I can’t seem to reset it back where it use to be. Happy, self confident, optimistic go getter, now I am a fat unhappy broke loser. Can’t seem to understand this life.
I spend 4 years in prision . I started taking notes along with a poem on monthly and of what i did with my rutine . I feel like now that im out i have a few goals . I look back to my notes to think that writing was the only thing wich keept me sane . Enjoy life folks travel ,meet people be happy .
Great video man. I retired from the fire dept. a few years ago. When I was working I felt like my life had a lot of order but since retiring I feel like I’m just kind of bobbing along. I’m hoping that journaling will restore some of the structure and discipline I had before. I like the concept of the thought loop. We all experience it, no doubt and having a way to conclude them is important.
Just saw this video! Excellent work! I always heartily encourage journaling!
1:26 …I have to agree with "it boosts immune systems and helps with healing" …
Not only is it an introspective craft, but when i journal, my cats love to hang with me and their purring is beneficial to my health…(studies have proven this)
Journalling slows the body down, and with a relaxed body, you enter a meditative state….and thus the healing / rebalancing occurs within the body.
That’s my own experience , but others have different ones.
Wow! I am into journaling but have never heard about RAS. Thank you!
Really insightful post friend
The last line is all I needed to hear. Thank You.
You nailed it
That is exactly what I was thinking with regard to writing things down. I started journaling when I was 11 or 12. There’s a hands on connection from the brain to the hand and writing things down
Like the part about the thought loops. Makes sense now as to when I wait for something or have to complete a stressful task, how it stays in your head.
Got a link for that fun chair at 6:35?
What an amazing, inspirational, helpful video
When we write journals do we have to read it ? Like how many people who write journals read it we just keep writing , so do we have to review it again and again. Or we just write down our thoughts and leave it .
been journaling with notes and pen since I was 18 years old. now I’m 43 and want to go back journaling again. tried digital app (note shelf, notability etc) on iPad and Apple Pencil. but it didn’t work for me, I ended creating lots of file and forget about it. so I go back to paper and pen. anyone have same experience? I wish I could do that on digital form.
I’ve journaled since i was 14(I’m 39 now) and it hasn’t done shit for me. It’s hella cringe to look at life and see how naive and misguided. YMMV
I struggled with thought loops of past trauma and journaling helped me to get it on paper and out of my head. I now journal everything difficult I experience otherwise my mind likes to ruminate on those thoughts and I get so stuck. I feel so much lighter after journaling.
How did someone do young become so wise? Your parents must be incredible.
One anology I heard about journaling is that it "transfers thoughts from the RAM to the Hard Drive"
Thank you. Yes, the head, heart and hand.
Great video again. This practice is so important but unlike other videos on the subject you have given me a big reason a ‘WHY’ to journal. I was once told that in a day we meet more people than our ancestors met in a lifetime. Just think how many thought loops that leaves open that our ancestors never had to deal with. Thank you for making this film. Great advice and I wish you well.
take a shot every time someone says journal or journaling
love from Bangladesh, it is a very very logical and lovely video