My freshman year of high school, I made one of the best decisions of my life: I started journaling regularly. Since then, journaling has become second nature to me. It’s become a confidant, a stress reliever, and the best therapist I could ask for. As my senior year of college approaches, I have finally realized the immense gift journaling has afforded me: the ability to look back on all of the memories I once held so precious, and relive them all over again.

Journal is actually the best, and not just for nostalgia. Here are some reasons why you should start journaling, immediately:

1. Your journal is basically a very detailed timeline/autobiography

Maybe you’ll be famous one day, maybe you won’t, but the ability to go back in time is priceless. Whether it’s back to your first nerve-wracking kiss, your first party, or your first day of college, your journal will secure away every important moment so you can relive it again and again. For someone especially sentimental, like myself, you may re-read regular daily passages as well, because let’s be honest, the past always seems a bit sweeter.

2. It’s a confidant in your time of need

If you’re like me and move a lot, journaling will definitely help when you don’t have a listening ear immediately accessible. Even when I’m not moving though, I still find journaling a sweet release for every single thing happening in my life. No matter how much I value my best friends, I don’t want to load them down with every bit of information I receive throughout the day. My journal is a great place to relieve any worries, secrets or thoughts I have throughout the day, that I’d rather not burden a human with.

3. It’s your cheapest therapist & your most immediate healing process

Throughout the past 7 years, I’ve faced some tough times. All of which are cataloged (sometimes less than eloquently) in my journal. Whether it’s a fight with a best friend, a major disappointment, or just an emotional breakdown, my journal is there to catch my sanity. As soon as I get my hands on my journal I write down everything that’s going on in my head, no matter how jumbled and fragmented it may be. By decluttering my mind and being able to look back on my thoughts, clarity begins to form and I feel a lot calmer. There’s just something about seeing ideas in words that make everything simpler.

4. It’s the closure you didn’t know you needed

I’m not sure if everyone has events that just suddenly end, but it happens to me a lot. One good example: A breakup. You don’t see them coming and when they do, there’s not much you can do to tie things up into a pretty bow. I just recently struggled to find closure in a relationship, but after a few months between the writing the entries and viewing them, I found things with my new perspective I hadn’t understood before. I suddenly realized I had been unhappy, and while it may not have ended like I wanted it to, it was best that it had ended.

5. It measures your growth throughout the years, without you even realizing it

A lot happens over the course of seven years, especially as a teenager and then young adult. Not only has my writing greatly improved (thank God), but so has my ideals, values and (thankfully) my confidence in myself. It’s hard to tangibly see the ways you’ve grown, but when you’re able to read your old journal entries and see the thoughts you spilled onto paper, you’re able to compare how you handled things then and now. Personal growth is a rewarding aspect of life and being able to see it allows for you to understand what pushed you to change and mature.

Journaling is more than just writing down thoughts throughout the day. It’s a cataloging system of your life, one that can help your mental health as much as your writing. You deserve to remember your best memories, and you will not believe how things can change.