According to Science, people who journal regularly are healthier (both mentally and physically) than people who don’t. Journalling is an incredibly beneficial habit to adopt. One that many people don’t give much credence to, however, there are plenty of reasons you should journal every day.
If you’re someone who’s interested in introspection and learning more about yourself, your life, and your values, then keep reading.
Because in today’s post, we’re exploring why it’s important to take 5 to 10 minutes to write a journal entry daily. Here are 5 reasons you should journal every day.
1. Reflection
I’m sure you’re aware of how quickly life tends to pass you by. Time waits for no one, and because it feels as if you have so much of it; you often take it for granted. We all do.
We all fall into the trap of going through the motions in our days. And when this happens, we forget how precious the simple things in life truly are.
Those priceless moments of quality time with your family, laughing and joking with friends, accomplishing goals, etc, can all seem to fade away rather quickly.
However, with a journal, you have the ability to go back into the archives of old entries and reflect on those moments.
Having a down day? Go to a journal entry that depicted an awesome day to remind yourself that this too shall pass.
Feeling down about yourself? Reflect on an entry where you crushed your day to reinforce the belief that you’re competent and capable.
As a result of these reflection times, a few benefits will occur, you will:
- Experience an uplift in your mood
- Stop being so hard on yourself
- You’ll gain perspective
- You’ll take your mind off negative thought patterns, etc
2. Emotional Release
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve felt low-spirited, unhappy, or just otherwise down in the dumps, only to have that dejected feeling completely alleviated after a few minutes of consulting with my journal.
It’s a form of therapy; an emotional release.
There are things you have bottled inside of you, and sometimes these sensory experiences are things you’d prefer to keep to yourself rather than share with friends or family. And when such is the case, writing in your journal about it becomes incredibly cathartic.
There’s a psychological release associated with journaling that helps you put things into perspective, and prevents you from bottling certain emotions that need to be let out.
It’s like a pressure release valve that you can use when you feel “pent up”. Everyone needs that emotional release from time to time, and the process of journaling can provide that to you.
3. Memories
Life goes by quickly. Moments, experiences, and days seem to blend together. Every day becomes just like every other day. Journaling helps you to group this collection of experiences cohesively in a single place.
When you review the archives of old journal entries, you can relive certain experiences. By reading your old journal entries, it’s almost like a time machine bringing you back to the
experiences that you documented. You feel the sensations you had when it was just you and your friends for a night on the town, or the passionate night you shared with an ex-lover, etc.
As a result, you feel reconnected to those special moments.
Such experiences are often fleeting. The power of the written word — your written word — helps you to resuscitate the feelings and emotions associated with those marked memories.
Journaling is a healthy practice in general, but this is probably one of the more sentimental reasons you should journal every day. It will have a powerfully positive impact on your mental health.
4. See Your Progress
One of my favorite speakers, Tony Robbins says, “Progress equals happiness.” Truthful words that we should all do our best to remember and internalize. You are most happy and content in life when you see yourself making progress toward your goals, dreams, and ambitions.
Even if it’s minuscule progress made incrementally, just by virtue of you inching yourself in the right direction, you will feel great. However, sometimes the progress you make can be so slow that it’s hard to notice it.
This can be both frustrating and discouraging.
This is yet another one of the reasons you should journal every day. By documenting all the little wins you experience — regardless of how small they may seem — you are building a catalog of your progress.
And when you look back and review your old entries, you can literally peer back into your journey and see how far you’ve truly come.
When you have your down days and feel like things aren’t progressing as quickly as you’d like. Simply go into the archives of your journal, and review where you used to be mentally, physically, psychologically, etc, 6 months or a year ago.
And you will see the undeniable progress in plain sight. This can build your confidence and encourage you to keep pushing forward in life toward your goals.
5. Self-Awareness
When you write daily, you are creating a written record of your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Consequently, this provides you with the ability to go back and reflect upon these variables.
And when you take the time to review old journal entries, you get a closer glimpse at your inner workings.
As we go about our lives, we often don’t notice the thoughts and emotions that are so ingrained in our mode of operating. This is because we’re too close to them. We miss the forest for the trees, in a sense.
Our thinking patterns aren’t always in our conscious awareness, but rather, they operate below the surface.
For this reason, when you journal every day, you bring those unconscious thinking patterns — that are operating in the shadows — to the light.
This allows you to become more self-aware, and as a result, causes you to make better decisions and encourages positive lifestyle changes.
Experience the Benefits of Journaling Today
The reasons you should journal are numerous. Even if you’re not a writer per se, journaling can be an incredibly therapeutic and engaging habit to form. That’s why it’s worth it to give it a try.
By documenting your life within the pages of a journal, you are setting the stage for your personal development and self-improvement journey to be a very fruitful and engaging one.
My challenge to you: Start building a journaling habit today!
Buy a notebook and begin writing in it for at least 5 minutes daily for 30 consecutive days. By the end of the month, it will become a habit and you’ll take this salutary practice with you wherever you go for the rest of your days.
