Nine Reasons to Journal

I have been journaling for well over a decade and during that time I have learned a lot of things – about journaling but mainly, about myself.  I am a massive advocate for journaling – to the point where, creating my journaling course felt more like something I should be doing to share these benefits rather than a commercial endeavour.

I’ve put together my nine top reasons to journal.  I can honestly say journaling has changed my life.  Not only has it helped me mentally and emotionally, it’s helped me to heal past trauma and also keep my creativity flowing.  My ideas almost always show up in my journal before I’m conscious of them.

Here are my top nine:

Helps come up with creative ideas

One of the most important reasons that I journal is to come up with creative ideas.  My journal is a never ending fountain of creativity, the more I write the more she gives – just so much goodness that is untapped and it’s only when I stop that it pours out onto the pages: this alone is priceless to me.

Reconnects you to yourself

I find that journaling is my daily check-in with myself.  It’s my way of checking in on my feelings and listening to my body.  Being aware of where I’m at and what I need and really assessing how I feel about the important stuff in life.

Keep track of your goals

Journaling keeps me on track with my goals as it’s a way of regularly reconfirming them and checking they are the right goals for where my life is right now.  I regularly write about what I’m working on and my life plans.

Time out and mindfulness

It’s very rare that I switch off.  I am constantly on a device of some sort – a laptop, a Mac or my mobile phone – video calls, emails, social media – it’s a constant whir.  Even when I’m not doing these things and I’m handwriting, it’s usually for work and so I have to be in a certain mindset (namely, the voice of the client in question).  Journaling is my “me time” – somewhere I can create a space just for me and be present in the moment.  This sense of mindfulness really fills me up and gets me ready to start my day in the right way.

Ritual (and self discipline)

I create a little ritual around my practice – in the summer this involves being outside with coffee and birdsong.  In the winter, it means curling under a blanket with fresh mint tea and lighting a candle.  This sense of ritual makes it feel like something I look forward to – a retreat.  Showing up every single day is also about self-discipline and turning up to write even when I’m too tired to write.  It’s often on these days that I get the most out of my practice.

Improve your writing

Journaling absolutely improves your writing.  The more you write (of any sort) the better you get at writing.  I often come up with taglines or company names that I’m working on during my journaling time as I’m so open creatively.  Writing equals writing and practice leads to improvement.

Reduces stress

An obvious one (and a well-reported one) but journaling is proven to reduce stress (and even apparently reduce depression).  For me it is a massive stress release – I’m constantly on the go, juggling deadlines and drop off and collection for childcare.  There is so much pressure on me and competing demands that people often don’t see.  Journaling helps me address this and work through it mentally and emotionally (mum guilt anyone?).

Self-awareness

I am a very self-aware person and I attribute a lot of that to my journaling practice.  I can analyse my actions and thoughts and really think about my motivations and why I did certain things or felt a certain way.  I think self-awareness is so important for making decisions and so my journaling is really helpful when it comes to putting my hand on my heart and being truthful with myself.

Powerful healer

Lastly, I find journaling to be the best healer.  It has seen me through some traumas and tragedies, some proper pain and heartbreak.  Writing in my journal has given me resilience and helped me deal with the raw emotion and ride the waves as they ebb and flow.  Recognising pain is the first step to healing it and my journal has been amazing in that respect.

I journal every single morning, taking some time to carve out space for myself and create my little sanctuary: a pot of mint tea and a candle and just time to be alone with my thoughts.  This is my therapy.

If you are interested in learning to journal do check out my latest course The Scribe Sessions.  It is a DIY email course with 30 days of prompts and focus points to get you into a personal journaling practice.  I’m not live for this course so you can do it at your own pace (although I recommend every day if you can commit to this to ensure that sustainability and regularity). 

Because I’m not showing up in real time, I’m also able to keep it really affordable which is important to me because I feel passionately that everybody would benefit from a journaling practice so you’ll be able to purchase this course for just £15.

I do hope you will join the course and discover these benefits for yourself.