I grew up thinking that journals and diaries were old-fashioned or stupid, but now that I am an adult my thoughts have changed completely. For me, journals are a way to express myself in a private and meaningful way. No one has to know what you are saying and you have the freedom to say as much as you want.

The best thing about journaling today is that there are so many platforms that someone could journal with. Notebook, tablet, computer, and phone. There are specific apps that allow you to journal in different ways as well.

Now, journaling as an adult is going to be different than as a kid. Your language will be better and the topics you discuss will probably make more sense in the long run then complaining about a boy with cooties liking you.

As an adult, I find journaling a therapeutic experience. Not everyone needs or wants therapy in their life, but it is a good idea for everyone to express how they are feeling in some way shape-or-form. Writing down any issues or trials that you are facing can help to take some of the weight off of your shoulders. If you keep all of those thoughts in your head and never let them out, then those thoughts could get hard and hard to handle.

Taking a journal can also help you manage priorities or figure out what things are truly bothering you daily. If you write about something daily then chances are it really matters to you or it is really bothering you. Once you start writing, go back a couple of times and see where you started. This is a great way to have personal growth through journaling. If you are a spiritual person, this could also help you to have great spiritual growth as you go through life.

For me, journaling is a great way to escape for a few minutes at a time. Not think about anything but myself and the things in my life. When I go through hard times, this helps me to cope or better understand what exactly is going on.

Writing it all down allows me to release some of my stress and get back to the things that really matter.

Is journaling for everyone, no but it doesn't hurt to try. Journaling doesn't have to be "Dear Diary" or "Dear Future Self". Those ideas are more generic and don't always allow you to connect to what you are writing.

My advice is to write to someone or something specific. I know many people that make up a name and a person and pretend they are writing letters to that person. Some people choose to write to themselves, their parents, or even their dog.

Picking something that is simple but still personal can help make your journaling experience so much better.

Some easy ways to start journaling is to just start writing down your thoughts throughout the day. It doesn't have to be long stories or paragraphs with perfect grammar, just some little notes that allow you to just get an idea across. At the end of the day, you can look back and see exactly how your day went.

Once you start introducing yourself to the idea of journaling, you can try picking up a notebook and actually writing down the longer thoughts and sentences, and truly get your feelings down on paper.

My favorite thing to do is to take notes on my phone throughout the day of things that impacted me in any way, then at night when I write in my journal I can look back and write about some of those things. This allows me to find the good things in my day and to even find the bad things that I can make better for the days to come.