Why is journaling important to me ?

I started journaling when I was in primary school, well, that’s just where the records are found. It was nothing regular or frequent, but I’m happy having a collection of them.

Here are some of the benefits that journaling has helped me throughout different stages in my life. I realized how important it is to me and I hope that my experience would inspire you somehow.

First of all, it’s a place where I can be completely honest. I’m free to write down all kinds of things, good or bad. Compared with telling friends of family, you won’t be afraid of bothering others. After all, you are the only person who knows yourself the best, sometimes it’s just hard to admit, even to yourself.

It helps to clear out my mind. The deeper I go in my thoughts, the further I’m on my way to figure out important things such as what I want, what my fears are, what really matters to me, how to achieve my goals.

It reminds me to keep inspired by little things. People receive loads of information every day and sometimes I find myself going numb. You may be familiar with the situation “waking up” after over an hour of shorts on social media and feeling guilty of doing nothing. Pilot instead of being a passenger in the backseats. Sitting there peacefully with a pen and paper obliges you to be more sensible about your inner thoughts. It’s like rewind your days and read the signs. It’s a kind of meditation which allows me to get back to myself and get closer to my mind. It feels like building a connection with myself.

It helps to make better choices, big or small. We make many small choices everyday, what to cook for a meal, what to do for the weekend etc. Since you allow yourself to take time to think, you can prioritize the things to do, and people that you want to spend time with. The more you know yourself, the more likely you make better decisions even for bigger subjects such as career change, relationships, places to live.

Journaling can be a way to train your brain to overcome things like emotional sabotage, anger, anxiety, loneliness, desire, procrastination, jealousy, self underestimation… It’s all about patterns. Each time you notice your negative emotions, give them a second thought: analyze what triggered them, does it really matter that much ? Is it worth spending time thinking about what’s beyond our control ? Is there anything I can do to solve the issue ? What can I do to make myself feel better ?… Asking yourself questions is a way to break down the problem and that’s when you are really trying to solve it. And that’s a good sign. At times, we tend to let ourselves be submerged in our emotions without even trying to get out of there because subconsciously we don’t want to get out. It’s totally fine to cry or to rage at the moment to evacuate your emotions, if it makes you feel better afterwards. But if it’s something that you want to avoid, or you find yourself not able to let go after a long time, you should probably train your brain to deal with similar situations. What I mean by “train your brain” is simply to calm down and think. Think what’s better for yourself and your loved ones, so that you would then make a more rational choice. Taking time to think is not easy, that’s why I feel writing can help.

When you read your old diary, you find patterns. What are the problems that keep haunting you ? You will notice your improvements: what has worked out and how did you make it ? Since you consciously keep track of what’s going on with yourself and things around you, it can get even more interesting to look back if you keep this habit for a longer time. It reminds me of what truly matters to myself. One day you will be grateful for all the experiences that you’ve been through.

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