Journal Regularly and the Top 5 reasons why you should consider it.

If you’re like most people, you probably have a lot going on in your life. You may feel like you don’t have time for anything else other than what’s already on your plate. (I know I am like that, and if you tell me there is something I HAVE to DO every day, I just get anxious and overwhelmed!

There are countless reasons why you should journal regularly. I am not saying that you should journal every day – until and unless you feel like that is what you want to do. However, it is worth your time to consider the power of a journal and regular journaling. You can always choose your own frequency, right?

In this blog post, we will discuss the top five reasons and their benefits, advantages, and disadvantages. Journaling can help improve your mental health, increase your writing skills, help you become more organized, boost your creativity, and so much more!

What is Journaling?

Journaling can be a helpful tool for processing difficult experiences, working through tough emotions, and exploring your thoughts and feelings.

It can also be a way to document your daily life, set goals and intentions, and track your progress over time.

When you journal, you can write about anything and everything that is on your mind. There are no rules or limits, which can make journaling a very freeing experience. You can choose to write in a stream-of-consciousness style or use more structured prompts to guide your writing.

Some people like to keep a physical journal that they can write in with a pen or pencil, while others prefer to type out their thoughts on a computer or mobile device. There is no correct way to journal – the most important thing is to find a method that works for you.

I had the opportunity to attend this fabulous workshop by Nikita Deshpande (deepblueriun on Instagram.com) and that changed the way I thought of a journal and the hard and fast rules of ‘how to journal’ that I thought I had to follow in order to really reap all the benefits from the practice of journaling.

So if I do this my own way – whether it is the style of journaling (check out Nikita’s course for more on that HERE) or the length of my journal entry or even how many days in a week I did it, what are really the benefits I would get from this practice?

Benefits of Journaling

The act of writing can help to clarify your thoughts and feelings. It can be a therapeutic way to work through difficult emotions or situations. Writing about your experiences can also help you to make sense of them and gain new perspectives.

Here are the top five reasons you should journal regularly:

There are many benefits to journaling, including mental, emotional, and physical health benefits and many practical applications from what we learn about ourselves during this process of writing or typing in our journals.

Journaling can help to lessen stress and anxiety

When you write down your thoughts and feelings, it can help to take some of the load off of your mind. It can also be a great way to work through any negative emotions you may be feeling, such as anger, sadness, or fear.

Journaling can help you to become more self-aware and be more organized (in all areas of your life)

Writing about your experiences can help you to see yourself and your life more clearly. When you have all of your thoughts and experiences down on paper, it can be easier to see patterns and make connections and understand where there is a gap and where you excel. This can be helpful in both your personal and professional life.

This can definitely be a big help in making decisions, setting goals, and figuring out what you want in life and areas that you may want to work on.

Journaling is a great way to get to know yourself better.

Journaling can improve your mood and help you to feel more positive.

It can be a great way to vent any frustrations you may have, and it can also help you to see the good in your life. When you take time to write down what’s going well for you, it can help to shift your focus and increase your overall happiness.

It can also make you realize that a lot of the stuff you are worried about, is not that big and that there is a way for you to handle that – I have found this very helpful in situations where I feel overwhelmed – I break it down into its pieces, and then figure out solutions and ways of managing the problem.

Journaling can promote better sleep.

If you struggle with insomnia or find that your mind is racing at night, or just take a long time to fall asleep, then writing in a journal before bed can help to calm your thoughts and make it easier to fall asleep.

Journaling can help you to boost your creativity.

When you’re regularly writing down your thoughts, it can help to stimulate new ideas and perspectives as you allow yourself to freely explore your thoughts and feelings. This can be especially helpful if you feel stuck in a rut or like you’re in a creative slump.

Another great idea is to look up Journaling prompts – these give you a good starting point, to just start writing by answering the question or thought.

You can simply google for journaling prompts by searching for ‘journal prompts for +topic/area you want to write on.

One of my favorite advantage and benefit of writing in a journal regularly is:

Regular journaling can also help to improve your writing skills.

The more you write, the better you will become at writing. This is a time-tested fact, something I have seen in my own writing too – the more often I write, the easier it is for me to get started, write more, and better! (more on this another day)

Keeping a Journal as a Memory Album

A Journal can be a great place to hold and record all your memories – It is like an album that you can look back on and remember events, functions, and happenings in your life.

A journal is so versatile, that you can choose to have text, photos, images, drawings, cuttings from magazines and crafts – basically anything you want you can add.
You can create this in either a diary or a digital diary – both offer the versatility to give your creativity wings and emotions space.

Are there any disadvantages to keeping a journal or journaling regularly?

There are a few potential disadvantages to journaling.

The first is that writing about your thoughts and feelings can be emotionally draining, especially if you are writing about difficult subjects. It’s important to be mindful of your emotional state when you are journaling and to take breaks if necessary.

Another potential downside is that writing in a journal can be time-consuming. If you find that you are spending too much time writing in your journal, or if it’s interfering with other important aspects of your life, then it might be a good idea to take a break from journaling for a while.

And finally, some people worry that their journals will be used against them somehow, either by themselves or by others. If this is a concern for you, then it might be best to keep your journal private and not share it with anyone.

An alternative option is to use a digital diary

There are many options today for keeping a digital diary – you can use the good-ole word document and password protect it, or use google docs online or an online platform like Evernote (it has many templates on well-being), Notion (highly customizable and tons of templates available online) or Dayone (templates available) to keep your journals private and save time by typing or using voice notes or voice-to-type options.

Overall, the benefits of journaling far outweigh the potential disadvantages. If you’re thinking about starting a journal, then go for it! It’s a great way to get to know yourself better, boost your mood, and improve your writing skills. And who knows, you might just find that it’s one of the best things you’ve ever done for yourself. If you’re not sure where to start, try writing for just five minutes a day.

If you’re interested in writing a journal, then I highly recommend trying out one of the many online platforms like Evernote, Notion (across any device and OS), or Dayone (for Apple only). These platforms make it easy to save your journals and write anywhere, anytime.

If you are old school or just love the whole pen-to-paper experience, then go ahead and buy any diary that you like and just get started!

Thanks for reading!

I hope this was helpful in some way – if you have any questions or comments, please let me know below!
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