It may seem like a drag, but trust me when I say: journaling can save the day. Plus, it’s extremely satisfying to fill up the last page of your journal just to grab some new fresh paper. The journal I keep is my personal treasure. Decorated with stickers I’ve collected here and there, my journal has become the one untouchable object in my life. It goes everywhere with me, and when I’m struck with inspiration or boredom, I pull out my scrappy journal and let out whatever may be sitting in the background of my mind. But journaling is different for everyone; perhaps you need to let off some steam through writing, or like to write down your dreams, or keep track of the things you do in life — it’s all fun. So, if you’re on the fence about keeping a journal, hopefully this article can shed some light on the wonders of journals.
1. Journaling will help your writing
If you didn’t already know, one of the best ways to improve your writing is to write all the time. The more you write, the better you’ll get and that’s because you are constantly practicing. Writing is similar to playing an instrument. You won’t be great instantly; greatness takes patience, time, and practice. If you’re looking to improve your writing, try keeping a journal. Even if you’re writing one sentence a day — whether it’s poetry, or something as simple as ‘I fell down and broke my toe,’ you’ll grow from it. If you start by writing small things, and you enjoy it, you are bound to start digging deeper into yourself with your writing.
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2. Your journal has no boundaries
In other words, your journal might be the one place where you can truly be yourself. You can literally write whatever you want across those lines. Journals are personal relics that are only meant for your eyes — unless you make the decision to share it. It’s not something that’s meant to be published, and from personal experience, there is a comfort in knowing that. Also, in this age of technology, you can choose between a digital journal and a paper journal, or both! You have the power.
3. You’ll get a chance to glance into the past
Have you ever found a past journal of yours filled with old writing? Once you get through a journal, make sure to hold on to it because you never know how it might help you in the future. You might find it one day, and flip through it without even recognizing yourself. You’ll get to see how you’ve grown, not only in your writing, but the way your personality has changed and developed. You might even take away a piece of advice your old self left for you.
4. Who doesn’t love to de-stress?
Not only is journaling a great past-time, but it’s by far an amazing stress reliever. All of your anxiety and panic, and emotion is channeled into the flow of your pen, and easily let go as words on paper. Writing what you feel can help you come to terms with it, or understand it. If you are the type of person to bottle up all of your emotions, journaling and writing can be a healthy outlet until you are ready to talk about whatever is bothering you with someone. There are plenty of ways to deal with stress, but journaling is unique because you are essentially forcing yourself to contemplate what you are going through. Even if your journal writing is creative rather than Diary style, you’re still channeling emotions, and writing what you feel. After all, those characters, or those poems have to come from somewhere.
5. Sometimes, we really don’t know ourselves
It’s true, sometimes we think we know ourselves and then we do something we never thought we’d do. As mentioned before, journaling forces you to dive deeper into yourself. Flipping through past journals is an amusing way to see who you were compared to who you are. You may even have an existential crisis, or a mental break down. But in the end, you can write all about it in your journal.
Image source: Negative Space