I think we all have a pretty good idea of how journaling can help as it’s something that’s very much in fashion at the moment. In this post, I want to speak specifically about how journaling can help stressed working homeschool moms. Now I know that adding in another task to your already stuffed schedule seems crazy. But hear me out! It’s so worth it!

The Well-Know Benefits of Journaling

Experts agree that journaling has a wide range of benefits. PositivePsychology.com speaks about 83 ways that journaling can help with depression, anxiety or stress. These include, to name just a few:

• expressing and getting rid of negative emotions,
• moving past overthinking and onto taking action,
• and creative expression.

There are many more that can help you move through difficult times in your life and to see everything more clearly. But what about journaling for working homeschool moms?

How Journaling Can Help Working Homeschool Moms

I have used journaling to get through some tough times. And I try to do it as often as I can to stay present and mindful. In fact, I have 5 different journals going at the same time. I have one for personal goals, for finances, for homeschooling and parenting, for stream of consciousness writing and for my business. Yes, I believe in journaling!

I want to highlight some of the ways that writing has helped me in my working homeschool mom life. And I hope that I can convince you to take it up too!

It’s Great for Quick Self-Care

As working homeschool moms, time is a precious, precious commodity. So we have to learn to use it as effectively and efficiently as possible. I have spoken before about the importance of self-care, and journaling is something that is a very effective form of self-care. And it can be done quickly and easily.

If you have a few minutes to spare, you can:

• have a few mindful minutes of writing to ground yourself and to take a breath,
• dream of the future and what you would like to achieve,
• write out what’s annoying you and try to let it go.

Even a few minutes of writing can have a big impact on your day!

It Helps You to Keep an Eye on the Prize

Often when life is hectic and chaotic, we lose the ability to dream and hope for the future. And life can quickly become a grind. I feel that during these times, the magic drains out of my life and I feel resentful, upset and unmotivated.

As an Aquarius, I need magic and wonder in my life. So that’s why I love to visualize and write about my hopes and dreams. And by doing this, I stay connected to them. Writing out your goals also helps to:

• make them concrete,
• figure out the next steps you need to take to achieve them,
• and keeps them top-of-mind so that you’re always working towards them and everything you do is aligned to them.

It Infuses Your Life with Gratitude

As much as it’s wonderful to dream big, being grateful for what you have is just as important. And once again, this can be hard when it feels like life is a blur of activity. Psychology Today has lots to say about gratitude and all its benefits. Some that I like are that:

• gratitude boosts your mood,
• it actually even improves your physical health,
• being grateful can help with overthinking, which is linked to depression.

Having gratitude about your life choice to be a working homeschool mom, can really help during those tough homeschool days. I remind myself that I’m grateful to be able to spend so much time with my kids, to be really involved in shaping them and that I can encourage them to believe in themselves.

Being grateful can also remind you of your ‘why’. Why did you choose to be a working homeschool mom? Most likely, something wasn’t working before and now you’re leading a different, better life. I know it can be hard to remember when your kids are driving you mad or you feel overwhelmed. But it can be incredibly powerful to feel gratitude about your messy, chaotic day.

It Shows You Where You Are and Where You Were

I usually write down how my kids acted or reacted during the homeschool day. I also write down how I felt. This information is vital for crafting a homeschool that works for us all. It helps me to see:

• how the boys are progressing,
• the beginning and end of phases,
• what they responded to and really enjoyed,
• a clear picture of our homeschooling journey.

With this ‘data’, I have been able to offer my children more of what they like, which has in turn led to more success in homeschooling. I also have a very good idea of something new is going to work for them or not.

As my children are neurodiverse and can very easily be reluctant learners, it shows me that I’m not failing and that my kids are definitely progressing. It also takes the pressure off during tough seasons, because I have proof that we’ll get through them!

How Journaling Can Help You Today

I hope that this post has given you the motivation to start journaling. And that you’ll start today! If it seems a bit intimidating, I say to keep it simple. Grab a notebook and a pen and just start writing.

There is no right or wrong way to do it. But you have to start! And I’m sure you’ll quickly see how journaling can help you as a working homeschool mom!