Anyway… This week we are going to talk about why you should start journaling! I am super excited about this post because I believe journaling can be so many different things and it has many benefits that you are soon going to read about. Whether it be doodling, writing what happened in your day, writing your disappointments, your dreams, it all adds value to your life and you can start right now!
So here we go. 7 reasons (that your child-self already knew) why you should start journaling now.
1. Let Thoughts Go And Move On
Sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves to remember things we have to do or to not forget this great motivational quote we came up with in the shower. I know I often try to go to bed and can’t sleep because I am stuck reliving an embarrassing thing I said earlier that day. (*barista hands me my drink* “Enjoy!” *me overthinking life* “You too!”) AHHHH!!!
Anyway, writing down thoughts when your brain won’t turn off allows us to move on in our day or finally get much-needed sleep while still having a written record of what we were thinking about.
2. Relax And Relieve Stress
Most people require a semi-quiet isolated space to write down their innermost thoughts… or that they had an amazing burger for dinner that day… either way. But being in a quiet place lets you calm down and breathe. We often don’t realize how tense we are until we sit down alone with ourselves. Once you are in that place you are free to process the stress of the day which leads to my next point.
3. Put Your Feelings Into Words
Have you ever walked around all day just feeling off and not knowing why? Try sitting down to write about it. You might draw a blank in the beginning but just start writing what you know. What happened, who you’ve interacted with, how you planned the day to go vs. how it actually went, etc.
There is amazing power in being able to articulate how you feel, because once you can write it, you can start to discuss it with others to improve your communication and relationships with the people you care about.
4. Increase Motivation
Write down your goals and dreams. Whether that be making a healthy meal for yourself and eating at a reasonable hour, making a list of places you want to go, or your ultimate career goal, writing it down can help you realize what is important to you.
You can also look back at that entry to see how your goals and dreams have changed over the years or see how you accomplished something you wanted to do ever since you can remember.
5. Keep Track Of Your Feelings
Being aware of how you feel can give you insight into how your actions may be affected in certain situations and may also show you some bad habits or toxic relationships you have. I suggest tracking by the month. On any day that is particularly happy, relaxed, or stressed, write down the date and what caused the extreme feeling. If you want examples of what this can look like, click here for my Pinterest board!
6. Remember Important Moments
As great as you might think you are at remembering things, more memories will come along and you will probably forget about many small happy moments in your life. After you go out with your friends or have a movie night with your family, take a moment to write down an inside joke someone made, or simply write what you did and how great the night was.
Later in life, you will not regret writing down fun little (or big) things you did. It’s always fun to look back on your past self and have those memories saved.
7. Form A Habit Of Spending Time On Yourself
Not enough people do this. As I like to say, you aren’t doing anyone any favors when you are not taking care of yourself. Journaling can be an easy introduction to spending a block of time on yourself. You can doodle for an hour or write down a sentence and call it a day. But either way, journaling daily can give you that excuse to relax, breathe, and figure out how you are doing.
I hope you found these benefits helpful in your journaling journey and let me know which one you think is the most helpful!
Have an awesome week and don’t forget to write about it.
Take care,
Rachel
Loooooooove this!!
Thank you, Brooke!