Journaling is more than just Dear, Diary.
Journaling is personal and should be done in a way that works for you. Journaling is an account of your thoughts and feelings as you navigate everyday life. This differs slightly from a diary as it may deal with daily goings on but also bigger picture aspirations, insights, and can be written, drawn, painted, or collaged. There are many ways to journal but today we’re going to talk about why you should journal.
Journal It Out! Get Out of Your Head.
The act of writing out your thoughts can help to stop anxiety and repetitive thoughts. Sometimes your thoughts need a place to go and rather than cycling through your brain over and over, getting them out onto a page can relieve your brain. A good brain dump can help you to organize those thoughts to your benefit. Your tasks, plans, thoughts, all on a page can allow you to break them down into actionable steps as well as identify worries. Essentially it lets the junk out and allows your brain to flow more creatively.
Process your emotions.
Repetitive thoughts can drag you down or keep you in a depressive state and impair your ability to process your emotions. Sometimes the jumble of feelings and thoughts on repeat block your ability to process those feelings.The act of writing can be cathartic but also help you to identify your feelings and take a better look at the thoughts you are having which can be steering your life.
Track your habits.
When you are trying to live with more intention, taking the time to track your habits can help you stay on track. Goals that are measurable tend to be more likely to be met and tracking them helps you measure how you are doing and allows you to pivot or think of supports to help you achieve your goals.
Feel lighter and more organized by planning your days.
If you’ve ever had so much to do that you just feel like your chest has bricks stacked on it, one more request might send you flat on the floor… journaling, particularly bullet journaling with planning your days ahead can lift some of those heavy tasks and lay them out in a more manageable flow. Sitting down on a Sunday and planning the week ahead or even just the night before can help your day to go much calmer and with purpose.
Record of your life.
Not only can recording your day help you to recognize the moments to be grateful for, it is fun to just look back. Your life is a series of moments, the minutes turn to days, months, years… before you know it a decade has passed and it is nice to be able to look into the past on your thoughts and events with context. This is hands down my favorite reason for journaling.
Get creative! There are no rules with journaling!
A journal doesn’t just have to be writing and you don’t have to consider yourself a great artist to get the benefitsof letting your creativity out on a page. Sketching, doodling, collaging, and slapping some paint on paper is a wonderful way to let your creativity flow as well as makes your journal interesting.
Brainstorm better.
Allowing space to write an idea down and focusing can open up the floodgates to more ideas. Having a location to write those ideas down is helpful too because we all know our best ideas come in the shower, driving, or during other mundane tasks that allow our genius to be exposed. Rather than losing them, making a note or voice note and compiling them in one location can help organize your brainstorms.
