There are many different types of journaling that are available, and they are beneficial in many ways. You have so many thoughts throughout the day that you’ll end up forgetting about it. Journaling will help allow the writer to write things down so they can look back on them. In a journal you can write whatever you want without fear of others seeing it. Journaling helps to let the things that are going inside make their way out. It also allows you to write down things you did in the day so you can look back and see what you were doing. Journaling is a way for people to express how they feel without judgement from others. It’s a free creative space to write down whatever you want. 

Help communication skills  

Journaling helps a person to express their emotions and feelings which can reflect in their communication skills. You get better at communicating how you feel by writing down how you feel and reflecting on your emotions.  

Reduces stress and anxiety 

Journaling helps to prioritize negative emotions and learn how to control them. You can track how you feel every day and learn what helps ease up on different stresses.  

Therapeutic  

Writing down your emotions and reflecting on them helps problems that we may be struggling with internally. The Greater Goods Magazine article on how journaling can help in hard times brings up a statistic on how journaling does help people with anxiety and depression, it’s just hard for people to truly write about their feelings. “The people who journaled saw the biggest reduction in symptoms like depression, anxiety, and hostility, particularly if they were very distressed to begin with. This was true even though 80 percent had seldom journaled about their feelings and only 61 percent were comfortable doing so.”  

Helps with achieving goals 

When you constantly write down your goals, you’re more likely to achieve them. You can also monitor your progress with your goals.  

Allows you to reflect on past experiences 

A journal is like a little time capsule of what’s going on in life at that exact moment. Writing down what’s going on during the day is a reward for time in the next few months or years when you can look back on what’s written in the journal. 

Improves memory 

Constantly writing things down helps your brain grasp a concept a lot faster than other ways.  

How to start journaling 

Starting journaling isn’t as difficult as it might seem to be. The hardest part is starting off but once you get into it, its easy to keep on writing.

Buy a journal 

One of the most important parts to get you motivated to write a journal is the journal itself. You want to pick out a journal that you love. The outside of the journal is just as important as the inside. If it’s a boring journal you don’t like, then you’re less likely to write in it. You can decorate it with stickers, get a colorful one or even draw on the outside.  

Different kinds of journals  

There’s many different journaling that you can do that are more specific. An idea journal is whatever you want it to be. It is basically just dumping your brain of all its thoughts. A gratitude journal is writing things that you are grateful for and appreciate. Bullet journaling is similar to an idea journal so you can pretty much put whatever you want inside it. The physical journal is different because it’s a dotted journal instead of lined or just blank pages.  

What to put in your journal 

You can put anything your heart desires in your journal. You can write about your day, make a list of what you need to do or write how you feel. The possibilities are endless. If you’re not sure how to start, TikTok is a great place to look for ideas. There are lots of videos with different prompts on what to write. Since the new year has started you can write about how you want to grow this year, what you liked that you did last year that you’ll continue to do or even your goals for the new year.  

Journaling tips  

Once you learn that your journal doesn’t have to be perfect is when you can really start writing. You must realize that your journal is for your eyes only and you can put your real thoughts into it without anyone else reading it.  

For me when I journal, music really helps me to focus on writing and keeps the words flowing. I recommend looking up playlists on whatever music platform you use to find good journaling music if you don’t want to use your own playlist.  

Another tip I have is finding a pen that you really like to use to journal. You don’t want one that’s going to smudge easy. Also having a few highlighters is recommended if you want to add a bit of color to your pages.  

https://www.usa.edu/blog/ways-journaling-benefits-students/ 

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_journaling_can_help_you_in_hard_times#:~:text=The%20people%20who%20journaled%20saw,Why%20do%20we%20avoid%20journaling%3F