The benefits of bedtime journaling: from age three to 103!

Here at Bloom & Blossom we’re BIG on the importance of self-care and taking time out of our beautifully chaotic lives to just BE.

Someone who shares our passion for wellbeing is Francesca Geens, mum of two and founder of The HappySelf Journal, which was launched back in 2018 and has since sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide.

It all started when Francesca’s (then) 11-year-old daughter noticed her journaling and was eager to try it for herself. Searching high and low for a science-backed journal that that would support her daughter’s mental health and instil positive daily habits, Francesca soon realised it simply didn’t exist. And so, she created it herself! Fast forward to today and there’s now an award-winning HappySelf Journal for every member of the family!

Just like us, Francesca is driven to make life a little brighter. She’s a firm believer that making journaling part of your bedtime routine is a powerful way of doing just that – whether you’re three or 103! Here’s how:

Preschoolers

You might be surprised to learn that children as young as three can benefit from journaling, but as Francesca explains: “It’s so important for our children that we normalise nurturing our mental health, reflecting on our actions and talking about our feelings. The earlier we start, the better.” 

Journaling with this age group can be a lovely shared experience. It’s a brilliant opportunity to role-model healthy habits (either by sharing snippets from your own day, or – even better – journaling alongside them) and it’s a fantastic wind-down activity before bed. Look for journaling prompts that encourage children to reflect in a way that’s accessible to them – for preschoolers this might be colouring or drawing, for example.

Children aged 6 to 12

Kids at the younger end of this age range may also enjoy bedtime journaling as a moment of quality time with their grown-ups – and you might be amazed at how many meaningful conversations and glimpses into their lives you get out of it! For older children, it can be a great tool for working through persistent thoughts and helping their brains slow down and get ready for sleep.

Teenagers

Adolescence is a rollercoaster! But encouraging our teens to journal can be game-changing in terms of giving them a safe space for venting their emotions, prompting them to find the positives in each day AND building their resilience – something they’ll need plenty of as they progress through their teen years and into adult life.

And let’s not forget one of the best things about journaling at bedtime at any age – it’s completely screen-free!

Adults 

“If you’re someone who struggles to switch off at night, give journaling a try!”, Francesca advises. Taking just a few mindful moments to get thoughts out of our head, put things in perspective and focus on the best parts of our day can make a huge difference. It helps dial down that internal chatter and settle us for a good night’s sleep. 

We’re delighted that Francesca has offered Bloom and Blossom customers an exclusive 15% off across the entire collection of HappySelf Journals.

To find out more about the benefits of journaling and snap up this saving, simply visit happyselfjournal.com and use the code BLOOM15 at the checkout.