Benefits of Journal Writing

Journal writing is an activity or exercise of writing about the things and activities that you do, the thoughts that you think, the emotions that you felt and the states of mind that you went through in a day. With the advancement of technology, many people have switched to using journal software, diary software or digital diary instead of the traditional diary, notebook or filofax personal organizer. But the goal is the same.

Blogging is one of the modern tools. But, most often people don't write the intimate and intricate details of their personal lives for the whole wide world to read. Personal journaling is personal. You wouldn't want your mother or partner to read. It's where you can pour your whole heart out. It's a very personal space where nobody is allowed to enter.

Besides the obvious reasons to keep a daily journal, here are some other benefits of journal writing.

Develop self awareness

Self awareness can mean having the ability to become conscious of your actions, feelings and thoughts. Keeping a diary and writing down your responses and reactions to people and situation help you understand yourself better. You will become aware of your patterns of thinking and feeling and the motives behind your actions, attitudes, beliefs and behavior. You can then make corrective action if and when it is necessary.

Monitor your activities

Another benefit of writing in a journal is you are able to monitor what you do throughout the day or week and how much time you spend on an activity. It is one of the ways to check your productivity. It will make you realize that you might have been spending too much time on unimportant issues and people and taking too little time on things that matter and are important. It can help you learn to prioritize and manage your personal life and time more effectively.

A place to capture ideas and keep memories alive

If you don't write whenever you get a good idea, you will tend to forget. One of the benefits of journal writing is to capture these ideas and information which you can refer to and think through. Your diary is also where you can keep all those sad, bad and good memories. Even though your brain can store a lot, unless you make a deliberate attempt to recall, you won't remember.

It's therapeutic

Writing is a form of therapy and it can generate a healing effect. Most of us feel certain emotions that we don't want to share with others. Some of us don't have anyone to turn to who would listen or understand. And some people don't know what they are really feeling except that they feel sad or melancholic. Writing these emotions and thoughts release whatever are bottled up inside. When you write the words, you come face to face with what they are and realize the deeper issues.

You can write anything you wish in your daily journal. You don't have to worry about grammatical error and spelling mistakes. You don't have to feel ashamed. You don't have to be wrong or right because no one is going to judge you.

At the end of the week, go through your diary and reflect on what you have written. It'll help you plan and set new weekly goals. At the end of each month, go back and re-read. See where you need to make adjustments. Notice also how some of the emotions that you have felt then have changed or transformed. Notice what you have done and how much you have progressed.

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