People have been keeping journals and diaries for a long time and for some very good reasons. Journaling has many benefits that can impact a person’s mental health, creativity, and memory. If you don’t keep a journal, perhaps you should consider it. Here are a few reasons why journaling every day is a great idea….
To express your feelings. Every human being experiences emotions and some of these feelings can be hard to handle. If you’re going through a rough time or need an outlet for your emotions, writing in a journal can be a big help. It can help you process difficult feelings like loneliness, depression, and anger, and also serve as a record for your more positive emotions. If nothing else, writing about your feelings can help you sort them out so you can accept them and move on. It’s almost like free therapy which can be really helpful.
To record your life. While many people record their activities via social media websites such as Facebook, there’s something homey and quaint about recording one’s activities in a journal. For one thing, you don’t need an Internet connection to do so. (That is, if you’re using a paper journal as opposed to an online service like LiveJournal.) All of your experiences will be chronicled in a book that you can take down off the shelf so you can remember the good times (and the bad times, if you wish).
To keep track of inspiration. Writers and artists can really benefit from journaling. If you’re out in the world and inspiration hits, you can jot down your ideas or even do a quick sketch so you can work with the material later on. Trying to remember creative fragments (i.e. a few notes of music, a phrase for a poem, bits of a dream, etc.) can be difficult, but if you have a record of them, you’ll be able to use them at a later time.
To save mementos. You don’t just need to draw and/or write in your journal. You can also use it as a kind of scrapbook and paste photos, postcards, ticket stubs, and more in it. This is an especially good thing to do if you take a special trip somewhere or go to a great concert. It will also make looking through the journal really enjoyable in the future.
To get creative. The best thing about journaling is that your journal is yours. You can get as creative as you want with it; no one will judge you for how you keep it or what you put into it. You can write with colorful markers or soft pencils. In all caps or small letters or a mix of both. It’s up to you. If you want, you can even create your own journal if you have cover stock, paper, and access to a binding machine. This can make the book really special and you won’t have to shell out money for a store-bought journal.
Journaling every day can be beneficial for many reasons. It can help you process feelings, record life events, and encourage you to be more creative. Start keeping your own journal today.