Ask anyone in my family and they will say that I have always been a writer. I remember as a young girl once sending a story to National Geographic asking them to publish a fictional story I wrote on hunting down a tiger… I kept diaries and journals, and to this day I keep a daily journal not to mention I spend about 3% of my day everyday just making lists!
The idea of journaling can be terrifying for some people. The thought of reaching into the depths of your soul and putting your personal thoughts, fears, or desires down on paper could make a person sick with nervousness. The idea of having to come up with something to write can actually be stressful for some. And to others yet, writing down what is already in your mind is simply a waste of valuable time. And although those are all understandable point of views, there are many things that are not being considered, like how journaling can actually help you to learn something about yourself you may not have ever known, or how it can bring you a sense of peace and put problems behind you, or even more how it can help you to become more confident in yourself.
Some people are born writers, others would rather not write anything ever, but the benefits of keeping a daily journal are actually pretty incredible and today I am sharing what those benefits are, how it can change your life, and how anyone can start journaling today.
Confess
By admitting to yourself your weaknesses, your fears, your doubts… you can begin to uncoil yourself and turn to improving. I’ll be honest and share that my favorite part about journaling is that it is the one time I find that I am truly TRULY fully honest with myself. I know the idea of pouring your soul out and on to paper is terrifying for some people, but if you can get over that and remind yourself that you are doing this for you and you alone, the practice can be extremely cleansing. Make it easy on yourself by finding a safe and quiet place, where no one will disturb you and then allow yourself to be vulnerable with yourself, and let go of it all. You can begin by starting anywhere, pick any topic like religion or politics or even just write about what you really think about the look that cashier gave you the other day. Go ahead and rant and rave, its ok! You have no one to make angry, no one who will judge you, no one who will interrupt you or get annoyed of you…. It is freeing, try it!
Heal
Letting it all out, means you can finally let it all go, and therefore you can find a way to heal. When every single thing you could possibly say or think about something that is hurting you is all out and you spent the time to write it all down on paper, you are able to leave it there and move on from it. Journaling is a great way to heal because it becomes an outlet and if you can truly journal correctly, you will improve yourself in every area of your life. If everything emotional is poured out on paper, than that clutter is out of the way and you can see clearly what needs to be done to move on and detach and let go of the past
Learn
Following that, a deeper level of learning comes with journaling because you can see everything you think and feel all laid out on paper. You can easily see your patterns, your weakness, and your triggers, and as crazy as this may seem journaling can actually be the fastest way to stop bad habits cold turkey. If you put it all down and are able to release and heal, then you are able to see what was wrong in the first place and you will have no desire to allow it to happen again. For instance, I knew that allowing myself to feel embarrassed at my lack of quick wit in a recent conversation with a new group of moms I started spending time with was unhealthy, and I never wanted to allow myself to lose that confidence ever again. For myself and for my girls I was able to grow from my self doubts and build on my own self love. In addition to that, writing things down simply makes it easier to remember because humans are just plain bad at retaining information. I love to write out my feelings and perspective after an argument with my husband because I know that if the same issue comes up again, I will know what I want to say and how to say it without stuttering for words trying to remember my initial feelings on the matter.
Grow
Thus growth is a huge part of journaling too. Even if you begin a journaling session in a bad mood, chances are you will come out of it in a better mood simply because you got some release. If you can confess, heal, and learn from your past then it is inevitable that you will grow within yourself. Take the time to then be thankful for what you have, where your life is at, and most importantly for who you are. Gratitude is the medicine for sadness and anger, gratitude will always make you feel better. Always.
Remember
Because it is all written down, it becomes really hard to forget and you are able to always go back and reflect. Which I suggest you do. It is a common habit that those who journal, write it all down and then never read it ever again. Remembering where you came from, and how you got to where you are now is important to your own personal understanding of yourself. I save every journal I have ever written because there are times that I run into an issue I have had in the past just in a different way and I like to go back and look at how I handled it. I also like to see the difference between how I handled things or how my perspective on life was back then compared to now. As we age we grow, our minds mature, and our youth escapes us, but our memories will never change.
Goal
Finally journaling is one of the best ways to not only set goals, but to keep them. Taking the time to figure out what hurts, what feels good, why things happen, how to change, when to be thankful, and how to reflect, gives up the ability to go after what we want and what we need. It is much easier to make a goal that fully makes sense for yourself individually, and therefore a goal so customized to you specifically that it is a lot easier to not give up on.
How To Start Journaling Today
First and foremost, get yourself some good writing supplies. I am a firm believer that having a pretty notebook that you find easy to use and write in can actually determine whether you write or not. My favorite place to purchase writing supplies is Erin Condren. Erin Condren is hands down the best writing and planning supply shop out there and that is because Erin Condren provides quality, inspirational journals, planners and stationary that is unmatchable. The designs are beautiful and the best part? You can actually personalize your journal and make it all your own. I live by the Erin Condren life planners and journals and truly cannot express enough on how much they have made my life planning and everyday journaling better. You can shop my Journals HERE and HERE and everything Erin Condren has to offer HERE.
Once you have everything you need to start daily journaling, you can follow these easy steps to begin.
Step 1: Make Time
Put it in your calendar, set a reminder on your phone, get up earlier, or stay up later… whatever you have to do, make the time. This is time for you! It needs to be a priority! None of the rest of the benefits of journaling can happen for you until you allow for the time for it to happen. I like to journal at the end of the day because it helps me to put the day on paper, the ups, the downs, the all arounds and ins and outs… all of it. And I am able to then take some that weight off myself so I can fall asleep with a clear mind, and ultimately sleep better and wake up refreshed.
Step 2: Ask Questions
Sometimes getting those first few sentences down on paper is the hardest part, and exactly what is needed to start flowing. You can jump that hurtle by simply asking yourself a few simple questions. What is the best part of today? Why? What are you thankful for? Why? What is bothering you? Why?… Ask yourself to open up to yourself, remind yourself that no one is here except for yourself, no judgement, no noise, no interruption, just you.
Step 3: Be Honest With Yourself
One of the best ways I use to get myself to open up if by writing down something that I would never say out loud, something honest and real and raw like, “Sometimes I feel like my daughter sounds like a mosquito buzzing in my ear with her whining and it is THE most annoying sound in the world to me!”. Obviously I love my daughter and I would never want to hurt her feelings by saying that out loud, but it feels good to be honest with myself and then come to some reasoning about it.
At the end of the day, if all else fails, try to sit down and just write anything. We all have off days, we all have days where there is just no use in trying because we are too tired, or too exhausted and in those moments the best thing to do it to just write. One line, one word, anything at all to give yourself that opportunity to release, even if just one tiny little bit. Everyday you can do a little more until you find more ease with it.