Keeping a journal is something that many of us do as kids but a habit that few continue with as an adult. Studies show that keeping a journal can be very beneficial to your health and sense of well-being.
Journal writing has been proven to reduce stress. For many, the simple act of setting aside a small part of your day to just relax and reflect can provide an oasis from the bustle of everyday life. For others, the act of writing out your problems may help you realize how small they really are. Keeping a journal allows the writer to release their problems onto the paper and out of their minds. For many, writing out problems actually helps to detangle and solve them.
2. Increases Cognitive Functioning
Organizing one’s thoughts in a journal leads to better organization in your mind. Putting your thoughts down on paper and re-reading them allows you to better evaluate how you think. The free space a journal provides means you don’t have to worry about spelling or grammatical errors, or even any sort of coherent flow. The point of a journal is to write what you think, so as to better understand your own thoughts. A journal can serve as a sort of mirror into your mind if you so choose.
3. Increases Creativity and Writing Skills
Writing daily not only increases your writing skills, but allows you to look at things from a different point of view, increasing your creativity. Journaling is particularly beneficial to writers, as it provides an area free of criticism to practice your writing skills. By writing and reflecting on otherwise mundane events in your life, you increase your ability to write about things in new and interesting ways.
4. Stimulates Self-Growth
As you write, you’ll discover things about yourself that you never knew before. By reflecting on your own actions, you can learn to improve yourself and think about yourself in a positive way. By writing down events in your journal, you build your self-confidence and establish goals for yourself.
5. Tell Your Story
Everyone has a story to tell and journaling is the perfect way to tell that story. Whether you keep it for your own use or clean it up and publish it as a memoir, your journal will always have your story between its covers. Knowing that you have a story written down helps establish that you were here. It confirms your existence in the world to future generations and ensures that someone somewhere will be aware of your existence.
Journal writing can have immediate benefits and can be started at any time. There’s no need to pencil it into your schedule, just write when you have time. Journal writing can be very therapeutic if you allow it to be.
