Ever since I was about 10 or 11 years old, I’ve always enjoyed writing and keeping a journal. It was never a diary. It was a journal, just to be clear.

Diaries are different in that they might include your stereotypical little girl crushes or first sleepovers or favorite Disney princesses. Sure, I would definitely write about these very important subjects time and again, but I would also love to make up my own poems or songs, write about the events that occurred during my day, or even doodle aimlessly.

I love looking back on these old journals, because they perfectly represent who I was at that point in my life, and what I was figuring out about the world.

Even now, as a college student, I still keep a journal. I don’t write in it daily as I did when I was younger, but that’s only because each entry is that much more meaningful. Writing has allowed me to discover so much about myself and I believe everyone should keep one.

Here are the best things about keeping a journal:

You can reminisce about your childhood when looking back on old entries.

Every so often, I’ll glance back on the pages of my old childhood journals, and laugh at how I explained things occurring throughout my day. I’m always happy that I captured these moments in my life.

You unknowingly improve your writing skills.

If you get in the habit of writing just for the sake of writing, you enhance your writing persona and develop an ease for writing that’ll be sure to help you in the future.

You have an outlet.

Along with running to help me de-stress, writing for me is an essential way to escape from the craziness of the world. When the going gets tough, the writers get writing.

You have a way to vent, without the fear of getting judged or criticized.

Sure, venting to your friend about a problem you’re having is great, but sometimes you just need to be alone with your own thoughts. However, sometimes even that can get exhausting. Writing it all out on paper lets those problems escape you, and reading it back to yourself allows you to analyze the situation better and even realize that it might not be as big of a problem as you imagined it was.

You can fully process previous events that have occurred in your life.

Sometimes life can pass you by so quickly and all at once that you never get a chance to slow down and truly recognize what’s actually going on. “Journaling” allows you to pause and reflect on these events and either evaluate or appreciate them for what they are.

You get a break from social media.

Too much focus on everything going on in other’s people’s lives can cause us to have a blind perception of perfection in everyone else’s lives except our own. Turning away from the social media facade and instead focusing on writing is a breath of fresh air.

So whether you just want to become a better writer or wish to have an outlet for yourself, I highly suggest keeping a journal in the midst of the digital age.