A secret that I don't even tell my best friend is that I have a diary. It might not be as cool as the one I had in 3rd grade with my favorite Disney princess on the cover and a super cheap lock, but I write in it as often as I can (which is sometimes multiple times a day). Journal writing has been something that I have been doing on and off since the beginning of high school and I truly believe that there are noticeable benefits to my well-being when I am able to regularly write in my journal versus when I am too lazy to write or become preoccupied in my life. Here are some reasons that I believe someone can transform his or her life when he/she participates in the art of journal keeping:
1) Reflection: It is so beneficial to look back at your day and just write about what went well, what didn't, and reevaluate what you could have done better. I'm not talking about writing a detailed lab report about your day, but just a few things like, “Dana got pissed at me because I took a nap in her bed and I thought it was hilarious, but maybe I should work on respecting her more." For me, I feel that when I write things out I am better able to determine a good plan of action or some goals that I want to work toward to make an overall better version of myself today than I was yesterday.
2) Goals: I believe that keeping a diary is necessary for working toward any long-term goals. Every day, I am able to write about what progress I made that day, what might have not gone well and what I can do tomorrow that will keep me on the right track. Some examples would be goals like weight loss, getting an A in a class or even boys.
3) Simplify Stress: The main thing that I have learned from keeping a journal is that when I write down my stress, it makes the situation so much simpler. When I see it written down, I am able to look at it from an outsider's perspective and see that it isn't as bad as I am making it out to be. If I get very stressed out or upset about something, the best thing for me to do is go sit on the couch and just write it out because I can cool down as well as look at how stupid the thing that I am freaking out about actually is. By making my stress so much simpler, I am able to make better choices on how to resolve it and ultimately learn from it.
4) Learn About Yourself: Since I have begun journaling, I feel like I am able to get in touch with who I really am and have a better understanding of what my values actually are. This will probably sound dumb, but I am able to just be myself in my journal because I know that I am the only person who will ever read it. Some of the things I have written in there are just hilarious to read later. For example, “Today I fell down the stairs at ATO and obviously it wasn't my best moment, but honestly, I wasn't even that awkward about it." By reading through my years worth of journals, I am able to envision what I actually care about and who really matters in my life.
