Why You Should Start A Journal

Take back control of your life.

What if I told you that there’s something that can drastically improve your quality of life? Something that you can start doing right now with ease.

The global pandemic has been dominating our lives for over a year now, and I know that I’m not alone in feeling the monotony of each day. But stagnation and boredom are not the only things we have to worry about; political discourse seems to be on its way out, our leaders seem incapable and uncaring, climate change is still going on, and the world generally looks like it’s getting rougher.

We have a lot on our plates and our minds. If only there was something we could do to help keep us focused, healthy, and motivated… Oh wait, there is!

That something is a journal.

Keeping a journal is something that I‘d never done religiously, at least until April of 2021. It seemed like my pre-existing insecurities, anxiety, and brain fog teamed up with the state of the world to assault my senses on a near-daily basis. I needed something to aid me in combatting the darkness.

Some days, a feeling of numbness and boredom permeated my being. Other days completely overwhelmed me. I found respite in spending time with friends, family, and my amazing girlfriend, but simple distractions were not enough. Moments alone were often torturous.

After a really rough day, I decided to start a journal, having heard of some of the benefits. I had no idea how much it would actually help me. After one month of writing down my thoughts every day, I feel like a new and improved version of myself.

Here is why you should keep a journal too.

The Benefits of Journaling

The benefits of keeping a journal are not always easily seen. Many of the advantages are invisible; you can feel them, but you have to pay attention. These are the improvements I’ve experienced since I began jotting down my thoughts just one month ago.

Clarity

The first benefit is that my brain fog has essentially disappeared. Gone is the confusing amalgamation of emotional thought clouding my mind.

Let’s be honest; we don’t truly understand or fully control ourselves. We may think we do, but that’s not always the case. We tell ourselves not to get that Egg McMuffin on the way to work… But we do it anyway.

The truth is, there is a constant battle of ideas and emotions in all of us. When we’re caught up in life, we often forget that our ideas and emotions do not own us.

Your thoughts do not own you, you own your thoughts.

Keeping a journal allows you to get your emotions and thoughts onto paper and organized. On the page, you can grapple with your own thoughts, feelings, and ideas to better understand yourself. Setting aside the time and demands of daily life to explore the entangled mess in your head will bring about a newfound clarity.

Priorities

I am notoriously indecisive, and I overthink just about everything. This overthinking added to my brain fog, making me even more of a mess. However, scribbling words into a notebook is a more powerful act than it may seem. Journaling has turned my overthinking into a strength rather than a weakness.

Journaling makes it much easier to nail down exactly what you want. Do you want to figure out your career? Journal. Do you want to decipher your own wants and desires? Journal. How about focusing on the problems you need to solve? Journal.

Regardless of your daily personal needs, having a journal makes it easier to understand your priorities, set goals, and stick to them.

Patterns

Scrawling your thoughts onto paper also helps you to recognize patterns in your life. You can and should write down what, why, where, when, and how you’re feeling each day. This makes it much easier to pinpoint the situations that make you feel either negative or positive emotions.

You can then limit the situations in which you feel negatively, or at the very least, get out in front of your emotions and work to minimize their effects. Journaling will also allow you to recognize and strive to create more situations in which your feelings are positive.

This aspect alone will have a massive impact on your daily life.

Mental Health

If you’re like many people, you’ve struggled with your mental health during these trying times. I’m here to tell you that keeping a journal is one of the most easy and beneficial ways to improve your mental health.

Venting your thoughts and frustrations in privacy without fear of being judged is one of the key advantages of journaling.

Putting ink to paper also gives you the opportunity to practice positive self-talk. Write down what you love about yourself, as well as accomplishments that you’re proud of. You are wonderful and keeping a journal can better aid you in realizing this.

Bonus Round

• It’s a great way to keep records and revisit memories that would have otherwise been lost to time.
• You can see your progress over time through your entries, further motivating you to continue your journey of personal growth.
• Consistent journaling will improve your writing skills.
• It helps you keep track of your creative ideas.
• Lastly, it’s essentially free! All you need is a pen and some paper.

There we have it, folks. If you’re not convinced that you should start journaling, I don’t know what else to say.

Keeping a journal can and will help you, regardless of your stage in life. There are so many impactful benefits and there are essentially no downsides to journaling. It only takes a minor amount of time each day, so stay vigilant and keep writing. Trust me.

Look out for my next article, in which I will share some of my favorite journaling tips to help you make the most out of your journey.