10 reasons you need to start journaling

This is my journal! Penning the header for tonight’s entry.

“A personal journal is an ideal environment in which to become. It is a perfect place for you to think, feel, discover, expand, remember, and dream.” Brad Wilcox

I have been journaling for over a decade, and have seen the incredible impacts journaling has had in my life. That’s what makes me so passionate about it! Here are 10 reasons why you need to start a journal:

1. It’s such a great memory keeper! You can document your day-to-day, or document your travels, a meaningful conversation with a friend or partner, an extraordinary moment, a great achievement, etc.
2. It is the ultimate self-care/recovery tool. From my early teens, I have struggled with severe anxiety and severe depression, and journaling is one of the things that majorly got me through such tough states of mind. I could journal about anything I was feeling, any thoughts I had, any physical symptoms, any of the things that helped me feel better. And even on the days when all I had to write was how awful I felt, journaling still acted as that vessel for my thoughts, and years later, it is so inspiring to look back at previous journals and see just how far I’ve come. *More about this in an upcoming blog post.*
3. Self-discovery. Haven’t the faintest clue what makes you tick? Or you have some ideas but there’s still room for more? Journal. For this journaling reason, I love using journaling prompts to really find what makes me, me. I will include some prompts in an upcoming blog post.
4. Self reflection. This is super important, as self reflection increases your self awareness, which leads you to taking intentional actions towards your goals or habits. Self-reflection can help you become your highest self aka the best version of yourself that you envision. It also helps you optimize your performance and reap better results!
5. Vent fest/word vomit. Sometimes, you just need a safe space to dump all your feelings and thoughts, right? Or you just need to complain without being judged or misunderstood. Journaling is an excellent tool for this! It is a healthy way to acknowledge your feelings and thoughts, process them, and then work out the next course of action. As Tina Cody from her YouTube channel Overalladventures says, “Dump it on the page, before you dump it on the people you love.”
6. Journaling can help you create a routine. Journaling can become a part of your morning/evening routine, making it a mindfulness tool and a great form of self care. Journal in the morning? Try writing down the top 3–5 things you need to get done today. Journal in the evening? You now have an entire day to draw from, document, reflect on, express gratitude for or vent about.
7. Journaling is a way to show up for yourself. It is a commitment to your own self growth, self improvement, and self development journey. It’s also a commitment to you time, time that is carved out of your busy schedule just for you.
8. Notice patterns. Regular journaling can highlight regular patterns. For me personally, morning pages (another topic for another blog post) showed me that over a span of weeks, I was continuously complaining about the same issue, over and over again. This showed me that it was really bugging me and weighing heavy on my mind and heart. Not only did I get sick of needing to complain about the same thing, I decided to do something about it. Doing so led to a wonderful relationship with my partner Alexander (psst: I love you).
9. Discover your dreams and passions. Journaling will show you what you care about, where your passions lie, and what you dream of doing, being, seeing, etc. It will help uncover those dreams or passions you may have suppressed out of fear of judgement or fear of other people’s opinions.
10. Don’t forget your ideas! A journal can be your best friend if you tend to have great ideas and then forget them! Jot down all your ideas and then revisit them! They could lead to something great!

Thankyou so much for reading this. Feel free to comment if you have any questions or thoughts about the post. Happy journaling!

Until next time,

Tea_rriffic.