Why Spend Your Time Journaling?

Over the last year, I journaled, wrote about journaling, and researched journaling.  What began somewhere between a passing curiosity and the search for an open-ended personal writing format resulted in a wealth of information on an informative, effective practice.  Although simple, journaling has the power to heal.
​
The practice is uncomplicated and widespread; most people have journaled at some point in their lives.  From the time that we could hold a pencil in hand, many people dotted down lists, drafted up ideas, and crafted creative stories and poetry—all of which were intended to share with an audience of one. 

The magic of journaling is that writers are free of all constraints since they write solely for themselves.  The journal writer does not have to worry about details like grammar, spelling, or correcting errors.  Never does a journal writer need to satisfy a reader’s expectations or an editor’s length requirements.  For most of us, our writing is controlled by someone else—a teacher, a supervisor, an editor, a reader, a professor, an employer, or someone who expects that our writing match their desires.

When we journal, we change the focus of writing.  We write for ourselves, to ourselves, and about the topics that press upon us most within the moment.  When we journal, we can be reflective, curious, creative, or emotional, and that level of freedom creates changes in us in both how we write and how the writing affects us throughout the journaling process.  


​

---

​Stress Management 
​

A fair bit of research has been conducted over the last twenty years about journaling, especially its effects on people who are new to journaling for stress management.  The outcomes of a consistent journaling practice are encouraging: people’s stress reduce, people’s relationships improve, and people’s sense of self-worth increase. 
​
Journaling is a valid, researched form of stress relief that has the power to improve the lives of any writer who takes up a pencil and starts journaling.  Multiple studies have demonstrated that journaling provides a stress management technique accessible to most everyone.

A young child of 6 or 7 years old may journal in images, collages, and individual words to express the complexities of learning within the complicated world around them.  Teenagers may journal by writing song lyrics, poetry, or short stories to work through the challenging emotions and relationships.  Adults may journal about everything from professional difficulties to relationship questions to creative ideas. 

Writers can use journaling to fulfill every purpose we have—to get organized, to get inspired, to be heard, to be genuine, to work through complicated thoughts, and to put overly-complicated emotions to rest.  


​

---

Today, people are more overburdened than ever before. Political tensions, climate change, and economic instability create the perfect storm for a stressed-out society. If you aren’t yet journaling, get The Simple Guide to Journal Writing and get started.

​Mindfulness 
​

​Many people live in a world that is moving too fast.  When the everyday life is out of one’s control, it can feel overwhelming, destructive, and stressful, but we can use mindfulness techniques to slow things down and regain control over the everyday.
​
Mindfulness is a state of mind of being aware of one’s situation or condition.  It describes activities and techniques that that are used to achieve a state of such awareness. 

Journaling can be used and is used to achieve mindfulness.  When life is out of control, stressful, and downright miserable, then taking time to journal can create just the mental break we need.  When we journal, we slow down time to focus on small things: individual questions, challenging situations, and ideas waiting to be explored. 

When journaling, we can write about the books we read, the ideas we create, the situations we regret, and the relationships we promote.  In a stressful world, journaling becomes a form of self-care where the writer can focus on the details of life—dissect them, concentrate on them, and delve into them rather than be overwhelmed by them.  

​Creative Outlet 
​

If anyone ever said that journal writing must be reflective personal writing only, they were mistaken.  One of the amazing aspects of journal writing is its flexibility.  As we journal, it is completely reasonable that one section is dedicated to reflections on the past, another section is dedicated to current books being read, and another section is dedicated to creative writing.
​
What we do with our journaling time changes from month to month, and for some people it changes day to day.  When the creative mood strikes, the journal is a perfect place to work out creative ideas—jot down ideas, compose stories, and draw sketches of works in progress.  A list, a brainstorm, and a doodle are all creative expressions that move inventive thoughts and ideas from the mind to the page. 

When we journal, we take a step towards having more control, a gentle style of control over ourselves—over our thoughts, emotions, concerns, and considerations.  By journaling regularly, we can move from a space of allowing the world to overwhelm us to a space where the world is our amusing plaything. 

If you do not journal currently, consider starting a journaling practice.  Write about your thoughts, write about the book you are reading, write about the events of the past that still bother you then rewrite them with a better outcome so that you take back your control.  Through journaling, we can find a sense of calm, a feeling of lessened anxiety, and an overall improved confidence to manage the wild world around us.  

Is life sometimes overwhelming? Do the blues get you down? Today, people are more stressed out than ever before, but journal writing can help. Jumpstart your journal writing practice with this course, which is designed to help you establish a journal writing practice.

---

Related Blog Posts