Fear to Freedom Project

11 Benefits of Keeping a Journal

The Benefits of Writing it down

Some people find journaling appealing while others think it sounds like an incredibly boring activity. If you are like me, writing things down can be a job, but the benefits outweigh the contrast, for me. If you don’t currently write in a journal regularly, you may want to reconsider. There are a number of benefits to recording your thoughts, life, and aspirations on a daily basis.

Journaling can help your memory, problem-solving ability, achievement, emotional health, and even your physical health. Your journal entries can be your next book or memoir.

Consider these benefits

A journal serves as a record of your life. Have you ever thought back on your high school or college days and thought, “What was his name?” Or have you ever wondered if a particular event happened in a particular year? A journal is a useful way to record the significant events in your life.

A journal can be cathartic. When you get the tough stuff out on paper, you feel better. Journaling gives your emotional health a quick boost. It can release anxiety and worry about things you cannot control.

You view your challenges in a new way. Things look different in your head than they do on paper or on the computer screen. It’s a little less personal when you can see it. You might find that many of your challenges aren’t as challenging as you first thought. Journaling is a way to get out of your head.

You can see your progress. When you record your thoughts and your life, they’re right there in front of you. It’s easy to see how much your life is, or isn’t, progressing. Just looking back at your old entries can tell you a lot.

You will be encouraged to record new ideas and information. When you record the most important happenings for the day, you’ll start to make new things happen. You’ll do new things in order to have something interesting to write about each day.

You’ll achieve more. Studies have shown that just writing down goals significantly increases the likelihood of achieving them. You get to see your goals and put them into action steps.

Journaling organizes your thoughts and improves your problem-solving abilities. You can clear some of the clutter out of your head when you journal, and your subconscious can begin working on a solution to the challenge.

Your memory can improve. If you reflect on your life at the end of the day, and record it, you may be more likely to remember it. It’s a great workout for your brain and an effective way to remember more of your life.

You get to learn about yourself. When you keep a journal, you quickly see your behavioral patterns and tendencies. You see what makes you happy, sad, joyous, grateful. You can change patterns that don’t serve you.

10.

You can leave them to your children. Depending on the types of things you choose to write about, you might want to leave your journals to your children or other family members. This way your memory, guidance, wisdom and earthly experience can be shared in meaningful ways.

11.

You can write a book or create a memoir based on your journal entries. Many people in the world can benefit from your story and your growth.

Consider using pen and paper or a computer for your journaling. While using a computer can be more convenient, pen/pencil and paper writing is just as effective. You choose whatever is comfortable to you. The most important thing in all of journaling is to be honest and don’t judge, just write.

There are so many benefits to keeping a journal. Try journaling for 2 full weeks and then make an evaluation. Spend 5 minutes in the morning to journal about any significant dreams, 3 things you want to happen in your day or how you feel at that moment. Don’t judge, just write. Decide for yourself if you want to continue.

Journaling has so many benefits that can be helpful to you on your journey in life. You are not alone in feeling like writing it is a chore, but the benefits outweigh the contrast. Grab a journal today and just write, don't judge. Enjoy!

Share this post: