Writing helps you get in touch with your thoughts and emotions

Writing to yourself offers many benefits. Documenting your life not only ensures that you remember the important things that happen to you, but it also gives you access to your own hidden bits of knowledge and insight. By writing down your thoughts, reflections and the important things that happen in your life, you’ll enjoy greater mental clarity and the ability to see your life’s big picture. Let’s dive into the many things that journaling does for you.

Journaling makes you more mindful

People who are more mindful are happier, according to research. Mindfulness is a Buddhist concept, one that medicine and secular society have embraced in past decades. When you practice mindfulness, you’re experiencing an especially aware state of mind that involves focusing on the present moment. Mindfulness is also the embodiment of an accepting, inquisitive and nonjudgmental attitude.

Journaling pulls you into a mindful state as you reflect on putting words to paper. If your mind is wandering, writing in a journal will bring it to attention. You can move past any momentary frustrations and future anxieties as you focus on what’s in your mind to engage in your thoughts actively.

Journaling extends your intellect

A number of strong cases support that journaling extends your intellect. Experts have noted that when people include writing while learning a language, there is a positive link to intelligence. Journaling causes you to explore your language. As you begin writing, you’ll naturally start to search for new and better ways to describe what’s in your head, extending your vocabulary. In fact, vocabulary tests are one method experts use to determine intelligence.

When you journal, you’re also likely to become a better problem solver. For instance, if you’re facing a situation that you’re having trouble resolving, writing in a journal can help. For most of us, writing causes our minds to open up and start working. As you form sentences on paper, you may see problems more clearly, inspiring you to figure out the best solutions.

Journaling can help you achieve your goals

Once you begin journaling, pay attention to what you’re choosing to write down. You’ll probably include details about your ambitions and dreams. We know that putting words on paper isn’t the act of achieving your goals, but keep in mind that building a house requires a written blueprint. Writing down what you want to accomplish in life sends signals to your brain that certain things are important. When opportunities that are relevant to your goals present themselves, you’ll be more likely to spot them, increasing your chances of achieving your ambitions and dreams.

Manage your emotions through journaling

When you’re able to recognize and manage your emotions, you have emotional intelligence. Journaling is a conduit for processing your emotions, one that increases self-awareness. By becoming aware of your emotions and what they mean, you’ll be better able to understand what other people are feeling and experiencing, making you emotionally intelligent. This lets you make deeper connections.

Writing in a journal also gives you a place to release your emotions. Letting go of what you’re feeling this way is safe and healthy. It can prevent you from hurting other people’s feelings, calm your nerves and ease your frustrations. Basically, your journal can be your therapist and a close friend. You can write down things you would never share with anyone else, and your words can help you understand what you’re feeling.

Journaling is good for self-discipline

Once you make the commitment to yourself to journal, you’ll need to set aside time to do it. The longer you do it, the more it becomes an act of discipline, which inspires more discipline. Journaling is similar to a muscle, so when you exercise it, you make it stronger. Keep in mind that as you form habits in one area of your life, they often spread. For instance, if you make yourself a healthy meal for breakfast, you may start eating healthier at lunch and dinner. The same may be true with journaling. Once you start writing things down, you may want to write things down more often.

Journaling helps you manage your overall development

As we get busy in our day-to-day life, it becomes more difficult to notice what’s happening during each moment. Documenting your life allows you to see the progress that you’ve made. As you read through old journals, you’ll see how you’ve changed over the years. You can also review past experiences to see when you did things right and when you should have taken a different course, making it easier to learn from your mistakes.

Journaling captures memories

Every time you document the moments of your day, you’re capturing memories. You’re also capturing them in a way that lets you go back and reminisce. When people journal, they don’t usually go back and reread their entries after a week or even a month has passed. However, you may want to read what you were doing a year or five years ago. To see what was happening in your life on a specific day in the past is amazing.

Journaling increases your self-confidence

When you write down positive experiences, your brain relives these moments. In doing so, it reiterates the good things and allows you to remember them when self-doubt shows up. As you relive pleasant moments, your brain releases dopamine and endorphins. These natural chemicals boost your mood and self-esteem. Turn these reflections into a directory of personal achievements that you can call to mind when needed.

As you begin journaling, be patient with yourself because you’re developing a new habit. To get started, write down your thoughts and memorable occurrences three or four times a week. Consider writing when you first wake up in the morning. Writing in the morning has the benefit of waking you up. You’ll also have the chance to write down any interesting dreams you may have had. If you’re not a morning person, make it your routine to write before you go to bed. This could help you wind down at the end of the day and contemplate the day’s important moments.

Journaling improves your memory and comprehension

The hand and the brain know how to work together. Along with this, the act of writing is generally a combination of thoughts and ideas. Words are a physical embodiment of ideas. When you form letters and compose words into sentences to journal, the action strengthens information that you’ve collected. It also requires you to use cognitive recall.

Journaling makes you more open to your personal insights. As you write in your journal, you’re essentially having a conversation with yourself.

With journaling, you’ll improve your writing skills

Some people may be hesitant to journal because they’re uncomfortable with their writing skills. But when you journal, your writing skills will improve. Because this is your own personal journal, you don’t have to worry about pesky things like grammar or even punctuation. Spell however you wish, as long as you can understand what you wrote later. As you write in your journal, you’ll become a better writer. Improving your writing skills requires practice; the more journaling you do, the better your skills will become.

When starting out, select easy topics – ones that bring a smile to your face. As you begin putting words to paper, it will likely get easier to express yourself this way. You may even tap into emotions and feelings that you did not expect.

Journaling eases anxiety

At times, everyone feels anxious and overwhelmed. You may experience concern about the future or stress about a relationship. Journaling can help you manage these emotions. Writing down your worries and fears can make them feel less intense. The act of journaling may even put you at ease. For most people, writing down worries and fears gets rid of them because you’re pulling them out of your head and putting them onto paper, instead of permitting negative thoughts to fester. This has the added benefit of putting you in a mindful state.

Taking time for you

Starting new things is hard, but with journaling, you’ll have a place to turn to when your emotions are dangerously close to getting away from you. Journaling increases your emotional intelligence, and it makes it easy for you to manage your overall development. When you journal, you’re taking time for you – time that will help you understand your feelings and what you want out of life.