I received a copy of the Spiritual Circle Journal to try for my honest review to share with you.

Did you know keeping a journal is good for your health?! Journaling ...

Strengthens the immune system, specifically the T-lymphocyte immune cells (read more here).
Reduces stress and anxiety (read more here).
Improves sleep, especially with journaling gratitude before bed (read more here).
Boosts brain function, maybe even I.Q. (Read more here 4, 5, 6).
Helps with weight control. This study found those who journaled also exercised more, decreasing cortisol, a stress hormone, which hinders weight loss.

100 more Benefits of Journaling is available for printing here.

My Journaling Journey

I used to love journaling in high school and college. I would spend lots of time journaling my prayers and as a result I experienced amazing spiritual growth. Then, towards the end of college, I got married. I still loved journaling, but it was a little less frequent. And then the thing that happens to many people a little while after they get married, I had my first child and I stopped journaling altogether. You may know what it is like, or at least have heard about being a new parent. I never had any time to myself except for a few precious hours of sleep between feedings. Things did not get any easier when two more babies came along and I had even less time. I've tried getting up early before the kids would awake, but that just doesn't always happen. Either the kids would wake up early too or I couldn't drag myself out of bed after a long night of nursing or helping sick kiddos. Sometimes, truth be told, I actually need sleep to be a decent mom and just wanted to stay under the covers.

My spiritual life suffered in these early years of motherhood. During some of my middle of the night nursing sessions with my third child I started researching prayer journals, in an attempt to restore some of my spiritual life. I stumbled upon this post this post about the Spiritual Circle Journal and was instantly intrigued. This journal is designed to help you get deep with God in smaller chunks of time using nine circles with specific topics to journal in each space. (Some of the topics are confession, thanksgiving, lessons learned, and God moving). The journal provides "structured freedom".

The Spiritual Circle Journal - The Tool Designed for Busy Women

I contacted Liz Lassa, the journal's creator, about getting a copy to review. The journal is beautifully bound on quality paper. It would be thick enough to do some art journaling, but I'm not quite there yet. There are a few short chapters in the beginning explaining more about the creation and possible uses of the Spiritual Circle Journal. Also included are some complete journal page examples and detailed descriptions of each of the nine topics in the circles. These were especially helpful for me getting started since I was out of practice and frankly didn't know where to start. Liz included some tips on improving the quality of your time with God. I really enjoyed the suggestion to keep a "parking lot" of blank post it notes to record those to do's that inevitable come to mind so I can quickly get back to the task at hand.

I am really enjoying the journey back to journaling. I still don't journal every day but I can fit it in a couple times a week and already have already experienced benefits. What about you? If you are looking for an effective tool to help you journal in your busy lifestyle I encourage you to check out the Spiritual Circle Journal. There is also a private Facebook group for additional tips and encouragement. What a great, unique gift this would be! A kids version was recently released too!

Let me know how you journal in the comments below

Don't forget Health Happens at Home,

Erin Marie