It’s coffee-stained and teardrops warp some pages. Exclamation points mark triumphs; illegible wobbles trace road trips. It’s my journal, it’s my constant companion. If you don’t already journal, here are seven reasons to consider starting.
1. It helps process emotions.
It’s not about wallowing in anger, self-pity or fear—it’s about understanding your emotions. Journaling forces you to verbalize your inner life. You have to find words for what you feel and why; it helps you identify and then address problems. Sometimes that’s all it takes for a problem to dissipate. More often it’s not, but it’s a healthy first step.
2. It lets you record high points.
Negative emotions aren’t the only ones that need processing. Journaling also lets you relive happy moments by describing them. You feel your joys and triumphs twice and reinforce positive memories. (This can also be particularly helpful when you need to find dates of important events for things like updating your resume!)
3. It slows you down.
Life is busy, and we push it to the limits. Journaling by hand forces you to do one thing at a time. You have to sit down; you can’t just text a journal on the run. You form one letter at a time and you can physically feel the process. It’s soothing. It lets you breathe.
4. It helps you define your perspectives.
Bombarded by opinions, perspectives and agendas all the time, we sometimes don’t know what we actually believe. Journaling about challenging perspectives or difficult issues forces you to organize your thoughts. You might not always decide on a strong opinion, but journaling allows you to process your thinking in a tangible way that you can come back to.
5. It helps you make plans.
As a college senior, I rely on journaling to plan my life. Writing about what I want from life forces me to verbalize my priorities. It helps me consider next steps and re-evaluate goals I might take for granted. (For example, I decided not to apply to grad school after a few long journaling sessions.)
6. It proves that good times exist.
For someone who struggles with mild anxiety and depression, journals are a lifeline to happier days when things get bleak. Usually it happens when I’m flipping through for the next blank page, trying to get my racing thoughts down on paper so I can sleep. I’ll see a phrase from a month ago or a year ago and start reading glimpses of things I was excited about remind me that things have been good before and they’ll get better again.
7. It shows you how far you’ve come.
I’m thoroughly embarrassed of my fifteen-year-old self’s entries—but on days when I feel stagnant, it’s encouraging to see proof that I’m always growing and changing, even if I don’t feel it. Angsty rants remind me that I don’t have it so bad; big worries that have since been handled remind me that the worst (almost) never actually happens. Seeing where I came from gets me excited for where I’m going.
Whether you write every day or every month, pages at a time or paragraphs spaced over weeks, journaling is a great way to deal with all the stress, confusion and, of course, delights that early adult life throws your way!
