You may not have journaled since you were a kid. Or maybe you’ve never
tried it and don’t see the point. But, the action of putting pen to paper is an
extraordinarily beneficial way to improve your life. Journaling is an
effortless way to change your life when nothing is going right.
Discover what’s
important
When you free write, you end up writing about the things that are most
important to you. They may be things that you don’t even think of as that
important but looking back over your writings later will give you a strong
inclination of what you find the most rewarding in your life. For example, if
you find yourself coming back to the idea of starting your own business over
and over again, it’s obvious that it’s a dream that’s important to you. When
your life is in chaos, you have less to lose, and you might decide to go for it
and see what happens.
Track successes
We get used to living in a routine and frequently overlook the small
actions we make that add up to beneficial changes in our lives over time.
Journaling helps us see all the successes we’ve had, even when life isn’t going
the way we want it to. Using a journal as a form of tracking our successes can
bring us a great deal of comfort when times are tough.
Let go of old
emotional blocks
We can share our deepest fears and worries in a journal. When we feel
down, we often need a sounding board more than we need advice, and journaling
gives us that. We can let out and then let go of past hurts and failures, our
needs and wants, without having to tell anyone about them but ourselves.
Writing is cathartic and can help us release old emotions and beliefs that are
no longer serving us.
Find the
answers
People who journal often report that they find the answers to problems
within themselves by using journaling to tap into their unconscious. Each of us
has the answers to every problem already inside of us and journaling is a way
to access those answers in a positive way. It’s amazing how allowing ourselves
to be honest and open to our struggles ends up making the answer we’ve been
seeking so obvious - it’s all there in black and white.
Encourages
creativity
Many people who journal find themselves writing poetry or drawing to
express themselves. A journal is a safe place to be creative. There’s no
judgment from others, just an open invitation to express ourselves in whatever
way comes up. Allowing this creativity to spring forth is another way that our
problems get solved because we allow our minds to be in a different, creative
space that is open to all possibilities.
