The Benefits of Journaling and Why Everyone Should Keep a Journal !
I have been interested in keeping a journal or diary since I was a young girl. As a millennial growing up, I was inspired by the likes of Doug Funnie, Harriet the Spy and even Anne Frank. Keeping a journal or diary seemed like an intimate and powerful extension of oneself. The power stood in the words written down.
Since childhood, I have written in various pretty notebooks and in various different ways. There was no set way for me to journal and it allowed for me to speak on the things I didn’t have a chance to speak on to anyone else. Journaling allowed me a way to be creative, whether it just be junk journaling or writing, it allowed me to reflect on the things I have done and it allowed me to reflect on my hopes, dreams and wishes for the future.
Through personal experience, I have discovered that there is no one way to journal. Journaling can be meaningful and personal to just about anyone and can also be a useful tool that serves multiple purposes. Even though there’s so many ways to journal, most of the time journaling if fun and that is one of the reasons why someone should consider journaling.
Here are some benefits to journaling and why you should consider journaling during this crazy, chaotic time.
Journaling Can:
Help reduce stress and anxiety- Writing and creating provides a pleasant outlet after a hard day or can help you solve problems that you otherwise might not have been able to do by just thinking about it.
Help increase self awareness- Writing helps you know about your thoughts, feelings, hopes, beliefs, fears, patterns, etc. Self awareness can lead to new changes and new choices.
Help improve inspiration and motivation- Writing can help you tap into good feelings related to wants and desires. It can give you energy and direction for what you may want to do in the future.
Help you track progress and growth- If you have been working towards certain goals, writing can help you see what you have accomplished, what you might still need to work on, or new ideas on how to approach things based on past information.
Help improve written and communication skills-Writing gives you time to contemplate and consider the use of words that you might not otherwise have readily used in the past. It can help improve vocabulary and self expression.
Help you achieve goals. Writing about your goals gives way to brainstorming as well as ways to plan important tasks and action.
Help improve memory- Writing about events, thoughts and feelings and later looking back on journal entries can help tap into memories and moments that you might not have looked at in a long time. It’s amazing what a few details can do to remind you of things long forgotten.
Help with emotion regulation- Writing about your day, thoughts and feelings can help you process important information , can help you manage feelings by taking time to reflect upon them and helps you pause before taking the next action.
Help promote creativity- You can write, draw, junk journal, arrange pictures, add stickers, whatever! Your journal is personal and can be a positive, messy reflection of you. As long as you like it and use it- your mind expands and creates in awesome ways.
These are a few benefits to consider, although there are many more documented benefits of journaling.
Journaling also encompasses lots of variety. There are various types of journaling and you don’t have to stick to just one type. You can journal in whatever way calls to you and you can do a little bit of everything even in one journal!
Here are various types of journaling and what they look like:
Types of Journaling:
Keep a Dream Journal- Have you been having interesting dreams? Write about your dreams as soon as you wake up. Even a few sentences can help you recall that funky dream you had about living in Las Vegas. Sometimes dreams offer a look into the unconscious mind and provide much needed messages and sometimes dreams are just a funny story your brain made up for the night.
Begin the process of doing Shadow Work- Shadow Work is the much needed process of learning about the not so light aspects of one’s personality, values and characteristics in order to integrate all parts together. When you write about this, you become more aware of things you maybe never paid much attention to. You get to know the whole self and appreciate things in a different way.
Write about daily thoughts and feelings in a stream of consciousness style- Just write about what pops into your mind for that time and space. Take a time out and write what your heart desires. No judgement, just writing. This can be the much needed outlet and connection to the self that you need. It is also fun to look back on events that happened as well as what you were feeling at the time or what you were thinking at the time. I look back on old relationships and sometimes laugh at myself because I took myself too seriously. Hehe.
Write about cherished goals and dreams and ideate on how to work towards those dreams and goals- This is one of my favorite things to do because it allows you to sit down, imagine and sit in positive feelings and ideas for the future. It sparks joy and fills the heart. Sometimes the best ideas come from from these sessions.
Write down tasks and appointments- Sometimes journaling can also serve the function of reminding you about appointments and things you need to do. You have your journal with you so write down the things you need to do. Don’t rely on memory alone, people. You don’t have to rack your brain trying to remember what you had to do because you already wrote it down. It’s both a time and energy saver!
Create a collage of beautiful pictures, images, stickers, etc in a scrapbook or junk journal style-Sometimes there’s no words for things you want to do so creating collages in your journal is what you can try. You can add pictures, stickers, stamps, magazine cutouts, printed images, whatever. You can be mindful in the moment and get the good feelings by making something look pretty.
Keep a gratitude journal- Take note of things you are grateful for on a regular basis. Giving gratitude helps improve mood and creates greater perspective in life. Giving thanks just feels good.
Track your food, water and activity intake. If you are on a health journey tracking your food, water and activity can help you identify things you might want to change or areas where there has been improvement. It’s a type of measurement that is tangible and can be motivating for many people.
Write short stories- If you are curious about creative writing you can write short stories where you are the hero, make up stories that involve characters you love or create adventures that only you can dream up. It stimulates your imagination and can bring about many interesting feelings.
Keep a reading journal about books you’ve read- If you are an avid reader, this would be an excellent way of keeping track of beautiful moments in the book, favorite lines and chapters, why you like certain characters or how it made you feel. It can also be a great way to recommended books to others because you took such careful notes.
A Date Journal- Are you going out on a lot of dates? You might decide to write about the activities you’ve done, the people you meet, the characteristics they have, the values you share or just why things don’t work out. It certainly is a good way to keep track of RED FLAGS too, so you can avoid that shit in the future. Looking back on these patterns helps you identify what you value and what you don’t- giving a way to picking better partners or dates in the future.
A Travel Journal or Log- Do you like to travel or visit new places? You can document your adventures, add pictures, notes on favorite places, favorite foods, people you met, places to avoid, places you’d like to come back to, historical facts, stamps, etc. This would be a lovely way to capture the feelings fo the travel or place and a lovely way to look back on the life you’ve lived.
These are a few fun suggestions and I suggest you give some a try until you find what you like, but you can journal on whatever you would like and whatever captures your interests. You can have many journals, or just the one. There is also no minimum requirement on how many pages you need to write. You can write a few sentences or past a picture/ sticker every day, every few weeks or even 1x a year. Whatever works for you.
What You Need:
1. Get cute journal or just a good old composition book.
2. Use a tablet, I Pad and a digital pen. You can use an app like GoodNotes or find a free journal app that calls to you.
3. Use can use a graphic arts app like Canva to try junk journaling, scrapbooking or collaging all digitally on your computer or tablet. Canva is a free tool, so you don’t need to buy anything if you already have a computer, tablet and internet access.
4. You can use Microsoft Word or whatever word processing program is on your computer.
How to Start:
Pick your medium and just start writing and creating at any time of day.
Carry it ( if its paper) with you and jot down any thoughts that might pop up.
Open that tablet and start scribbling.
Make voice notes and then transcribe it where you want.
Keep trying new things that you like.
Add pictures, stickers, cut outs, stamps, etc. Anything that you think will make it look cute.
Keep at it!
And that is it.
We talked about the benefits of journaling, the types of journaling you might want to explore and how to get started. If you have been looking to try a new hobby that can help you feel all sorts of goodness- this is the one to try. Creativity is the name of the game here- so there is not limit to the types of journaling you can try or invent. Give it a shot, and share your results with us!
Happy Journaling!