Throughout high school, I kept a journal. During ninth and tenth grade I wrote every single night before bed. As life got a little busier in the second half of high school, I didn’t’t keep up with it as regularly but I still wrote about once or twice a week. When I got to college, I almost completely lost the habit. However, after reflecting back on my journaling days, I have realized that it is something very valuable that is absolutely worth making the time for, so I decided to pick it up again. Here are just a few of the benefits of keeping a journal and why every person should start doing it.
It helps you discover solutions to problems
Taking the time to put words to what is on your mind is very helpful for sorting through your thoughts. You may discover a solution to a problem that had not yet occurred to you or gain a new perspective on a situation. Taking the time to write something down forces you to devote your attention to it, which sometimes is all you need to do in order to gain some clarity.
It gives you peace of mind
Something so great about writing in a journal is that it honestly feels like you are talking to somebody. Therefore, it is a great outlet when something is bothering you or when you just have a lot on your mind. Whenever you’re upset about something, you always feel ten times better after writing it down and getting it out of your head. A journal is basically someone that you can tell anything to, who will always be on your side and never judge you. So, don’t be surprised when your journal basically becomes a best friend you don’t know how you ever lived without.
Journals preserve memories
Life moves pretty fast when you’re young, and it’s easy for memories to slip away and be forgotten. Our memories are unreliable and can change or become fuzzy without us even realizing it. When you put something into writing right after it happens, you will protect the memory from being altered over time. Over the years, there have been many things that I know I definitely would not remember now if I hadn’t written about them.
It’s relaxing
Journaling is very calming. The trick is to approach it very differently than you would writing a paper for class or even a letter to a friend. Remember that you are writing for yourself and that nobody else is going to be reading this. Let your thoughts flow and don’t worry about having anything important to say. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how relaxing this is! Keeping your journal by your bed and writing in it right before you go to sleep is a great way to clear your mind at the end of a busy day.
It strengthens both writing and communication skills
Still not convinced? For those who don’t see how they could possibly devote time in their busy lives to writing in a journal, consider this. Writing in a journal can actually improve your writing skills. Journaling frees a person from the pressure to be “good” at writing and therefore does not hinder your creativity. Although practice may not make perfect, it is definitely true that we improve at something the more times we do it. So really, by keeping a journal you may actually end up decreasing the amount of time it will take you to write your next essay. Writing in a journal can also improve communication skills- it’s a form of written communication and expressing yourself in writing is good practice for expressing your ideas out loud.
It will be fun (and funny) to go back and read in the future
This is arguably the best part about keeping a journal. Having journals to go back and read years from now is like having a permanent connection with your younger self. Not to mention they are really entertaining and provide pretty much an endless amount of laughs! Reading through my old journals always makes me laugh and reminds me that things that seem like a really big deal right now, will probably be insignificant and maybe even funny to look back on in the future.
If you don’t have journals from various stages of your life to go back and read, don’t feel bad. It’s never too late to start writing and both your current and future selves will thank you for it!
Happy writing, collegiettes!