Why Journalling Helps You To Write Better (and Feel Better Too).

There’s something powerful about taking five minutes to sit with yourself, pen in hand, and ask: What’s going on beneath the surface? Not because anyone else needs the answer, but because you do.

That’s the heart of journalling. It’s simple, accessible and deeply personal. You don’t need to identify as “a writer” to benefit from it. You just need a willingness to listen to your thoughts.

But if you are a writer - whether you’re working on a blog, a business book or are finding your voice as a novelist - journalling is more than self care. It becomes the soil in which your ideas, clarity and authentic voice take root.

I sit at the intersection of these two worlds: writing for wellbeing and writing to be heard. Through The Curious Self Prompt Club and my Book Coaching work, via The Curious Wolf, with business owners and creatives, I’ve seen how these two types of writing - personal reflection and public expression - aren’t separate at all. They’re deeply entwined. Embracing both can transform not just how you write, but how you show up in the world and, crucially, how you feel about yourself.

Journalling as a Daily Anchor

Life is fast. Our to do lists are ever increasing. Journalling offers a short pause.

It’s a space to check in: How am I feeling? What do I need today? What have I been avoiding? What small joy am I overlooking?

These aren’t questions with right or wrong answers. In fact, they’re not about answers at all - they’re about self-awareness. About remembering that you are a person underneath all of the roles you play.

That kind of awareness is soothing. It helps you regulate stress. It supports mental health. And it builds resilience - because when you’re in the habit of checking in with yourself, you’re more likely to notice when something’s off and tend to it before it spirals.

This is why journalling is for everyone. Not just as another item on the wellness to do list, but as a space where you can be honest, unfiltered and safe.

The Hidden Link Between Journalling and Writing

And yet… if you do identify as a writer in any form, journalling starts to do something else.

It trains you to:

• Keep showing up on the page.

• Get comfortable with messy first drafts.

• Follow your thoughts where they lead.

• Discover patterns and themes in what matters to you.

• Notice your own language, tone and truths.

In other words, journalling strengthens your creative muscles without pressure. It removes the expectation of perfection and reconnects you with your natural voice.

So often, writers - especially those writing as part of their business - get stuck trying to sound like a writer. But the best writing doesn’t sound like anything other than the writer themselves. Honest, clear, sometimes vulnerable, sometimes bold. That tone can’t be forced. But it can be uncovered - and journalling helps you do just that.

From Inner Voice to Outer Message

In my Book Coaching work, I help business owners and experts shape their stories and insights into thought leadership books. But before we talk about chapters or outlines or publishing routes, we often go back to this question: What do you really want to say?

That’s not always easy to answer on the spot. We’ve all been conditioned to market, to perform, to filter.

This is where journalling comes in. It gives you a low pressure space to explore:

• What you believe (and where that belief came from).

• What’s been hard (and what you’ve learned).

• What patterns you see in the world (and how you want to change them).

Through reflection, writers begin to notice their unique lens. They remember experiences that seemed insignificant at the time but actually shaped their voice. They get closer to the stories and insights that only they can tell.

And that, truly, is where a good book begins.

Writing That Comes Alive

When someone comes to me with a book idea, it’s rarely fully formed. It’s usually a collection of thoughts, sticky notes, workshop slides, client conversations and late-night Google Docs. The heart of the message is in there - but it hasn’t quite surfaced yet.

That's where my Book Strategy Sessions come in - these sessions provide the clarity for the message and purpose of the book. So, where does journalling come in? This is what gives the focus and the mental clarity to the writer and keeps them motivated to continue.

The quiet, unshared writing that allows them to access what they actually think - beneath the polished, performative layers. The stuff they say to a friend but hesitate to post on LinkedIn. The tender stories that they weren’t sure had a place in their business message, but somehow hold all the power.

When there is space for those reflections, the writing gains life. It stops being generic. It starts being theirs.

The Curious Self Meets the Curious Writer

That’s why I created The Curious Self Prompt Club - a daily journalling space that doesn’t require you to call yourself a writer, but supports you if you are.

It’s delivered via WhatsApp because that’s often where people already are. It’s low pressure. And each prompt is designed to gently draw out self-awareness, insight and clarity.

Some people join simply because they want to pause and reflect each day.

Others join because they want to reconnect with their creative voice, or build a writing habit in an unscary way.

Many do both.

And that’s the point. There’s no “right way” to use journalling. But when you allow it to support both your inner and outer voice, something powerful happens. You feel more like yourself - and your writing starts to reflect that, too.

An Invitation

So whether you’re someone who hasn’t written since school, or someone preparing to write your first book . . .

Whether you’re looking for calm or clarity or creative momentum . . .

Whether you want to know yourself more deeply or share your message more boldly . . .

I invite you to start with a prompt. Just one. Just today.

You don’t have to write a lot. You don’t have to share it with anyone. But you do deserve the chance to hear yourself.

That’s where your best writing begins.

And more importantly - that’s where you begin to feel at home in your own voice.

To find out more about The Curious Self Journalling Prompt Club, please click here.