Submitted by Friday on
Nowadays with technological advancements, journaling may seem like an obsolete practice. But, journaling can actually have many benefits to your overall wellbeing and is also a great way to document your milestones and memories.
I personally discovered the benefits of journaling when I was transitioning to boarding school and college. I knew that I wanted a way to document my experiences and have something to look back on. There are many benefits to journaling, but keep reading to see my top 5.
1. You develop mindfulness of your past and current emotions and future anxieties.
The months leading up to leaving home for high school, I realized I had a lot of anxieties and fears that I constantly thought about. It could have been the fact that my brother had a lot of spare journals lying in his room or my desire to rant but not feel like I’m burdening another person, but I started to list all my fears that were circling in my mind. After that, I felt lighter and became less obsessive over my anxieties.
When I started school, I looked back at all the fears that I listed in my journal and I started to “reply” to my list. I wrote about how I did make friends, how much I liked my teachers and that although I still have fears, everyone around me is going through the same thing and to take it day by day. Following that day, whenever I was nervous or tense about something, I always wrote it down and then I went back and wrote about how that presentation went, the highlights of the softball game or about the confrontation with my roommate. It made me more aware and okay with how I was feeling and I ended up putting a positive spin on things, which promoted a healthier mentality.
2. You can keep it as a memento.
When I was in middle school, we were required to keep a journal during the summer for a month and although it seemed like a burden at the time, it actually served as a great keepsake. When I was cleaning out my room last year and found all my journals and I just sat down and went down memory lane.
3. Writing gives you a break from staring at a screen.
If you’re like me or like any millennial, you’ve got your eyes glued to a screen for an unhealthy amount of time. There are also studies that show the blue light from your computer or tablet can affect your sleep. Journaling is an effective way to wind down before bed and calm your mind so you can get a full night’s rest and feel recharged in the morning.
4. You can enhance your thinking.
Writing down your feelings and day to day events can promote clarity and can help prevent you from feeling overwhelmed. It can also let you see your situation or problems from a different perspective that could help you lead to a solution.
5. Celebrities do it too!
Journaling is for everyone. Even celebrities like Lady Gaga, Jennifer Aniston, and Jennifer Simpson use journals as a way to document their emotions and experiences. So why not give it a try?
Maggie Zhang