Why Start A Journal – My Top 5 Reasons

Hello Everyone!

So, I know you’re probably tired of hearing this, but I will always advocate for keeping a journal. It doesn’t have to be a bullet journal, it can be an actual diary, or a scrapbook, something that tracks your memories of the day you’ve had, or of particular moments in your life. You don’t have to keep it daily, it can be done whenever, but to really get the most out of your journal, try your best to use it regularly. Of course, there are several reasons why you should, and I’ll explain some of them here.

1.   It Helps Balance Your Mental & Emotional Wellbeing

We’re all busy, I get it. It’s not always easy to sit down and write down your thoughts in a blank notebook, because something always calls us away, or we just don’t know what to say. However, there’s a reason therapists encourage diary keeping, and writing in a journal. It helps your mental wellbeing. It doesn't matter if you’re suffering from a condition, or you’re trying to process big emotions, keeping a journal will help deal with that stress.

I have been on both ends of the scale, where I’ve not kept a journal, and where I’ve written in one, daily, and I have to say, the days where I’ve written in my journal, and put thought to paper, were so much better than the ones when I didn’t. All the anxieties I’d felt, and all the fear or nervousness that kept plaguing me, at the time, weren’t quite as strong as the days I didn’t write in my journal. Essentially, my journal helped me process those emotions, so that they didn’t harm me, during the day. That’s why I highly recommend you try maintaining one as well. It will help you out, one way or another through whatever it is you’re going through.

2.   It Helps You Keep Track Of Things

Most of the time, we think that keeping a journal is just about putting thought to paper, but journals can also be a way to help you keep track of the things that have happened to you, or it helps keep track of the things you need to do. Journals don’t always need to be about the past, they can also be about the future. They can help remind you of tasks or events you need to remember, even if it’s a day or a year away. By writing down the things you need to do you’ll remember them more clearly. After all, according to some scientific journals, writing things can help psychologically, because it helps your brain retains memory, and no, it doesn’t include typing things up on a document, it means physically writing something down in a book.

Honestly, I do feel like I remember things better by writing them down. As someone who has a lot to write, yes, it’s nice to see my notes on one document, typed up neatly, but sometimes, physically writing something down helps me remember those notes better. Of course, I have several notebooks of notes that I don’t always go back to, but because they’re written down, I remember what it was anyway, so I don’t need to. So, keeping journals and diaries do actually help with remembering the important things you need to do.

3.   It’s A Good Time Capsule

When you first start keeping journals, it might seem like a stupid and ridiculous thing to do. You might feel awkward and strange when you start writing out your thoughts, and seeing them in front of you, but don’t think too much on it. Just keep writing, because later, when you’re looking back on all the things you did in your life, and find your old journal entries, you’ll remember, the anxieties you felt, and actually be fond of them. Of course, I don’t mean, you’ll want them back, but you’ll remember how big those anxieties felt, and realise that although they were valid feelings at the time, you managed to push through and moved on to bigger and better things.

That’s exactly how I feel, every time I come across some of my older journals. I’ve been writing in diaries and journals for years now, a decade even, and every time I clear out my space, I come across one of my old diaries, and curious, I flip through them. Whenever I read my old entries, I am embarrassed, but at the same time I’m fond of what I’ve written, because I know that what I had written down at the time were not just commentaries of that time, but also a reminder of what I had gone through, and how big they felt at the time. Now, looking back, it makes me smile, and proud of the person I’ve become today, because I did manage to push through those anxieties, and I have become a better person for it.

4.   It Helps With Creativity

Your journal doesn’t always need to be about writing thoughts or timelines of what happened in your day, it can help develop your creative skills too. What I mean is, we all, one way or another, come up with stories of our own, if not stories about our day, and the things that happened in them, then fictional stories and fantasies. It is why people write fantasy, fiction, romance and all kinds of books that attract readers time and time again. Writing is a form of creativity, no matter if it’s published to the masses, or kept secret in private journals. Whatever it is you write, you are developing your creative skills.

Sometimes, when I write in my journal, I write about ideas I have for stories that I hope to one day sit down and write, if not as a proper novel, then as a film, or even a game. I don’t always focus on the day I’ve had. I don’t always write about my feelings or what I was going through that day, and instead, focus on an idea that didn’t want to go away. By doing so, I’m developing my creativity. After all, humans are beings of story and imagination, we all have ideas for stories, but most of the time, those stories are forgotten, because we don’t know what to do with them. Write them down, you might not ever develop them or use them for anything but knowing that you’ve written a summary puts it out there, even if it goes nowhere. By writing down those ideas, you’re developing your creativity and imagination, and giving your ideas room to grow, especially if you look back on that idea, and decide to actually develop it into something substantial.

5.   It Improves Reading And Writing Skills

While writing in a journal doesn’t always guarantee perfect grammar and punctuation, it most certainly helps with improving your writing skills. Think about it like this, when you type something up, on a document, you can undo a word or a sentence you’ve written (I’ve done this multiple times while writing this blog post), and when you write a word, either the document automatically corrects it for you, or highlights the word, to show you other potential correct forms of the word. You can’t do that with a journal, especially one that you hand write. So, whenever you come across a sentence or a word that doesn’t make sense or doesn't look right, you’ll have to look up the correct spelling or grammar for it, and the next time you write that sentence or word, you’ll remember to do it correctly.

The same goes for me. While I may write well, I’m by no means an expert in literature (I didn’t take that course up at university, and I didn’t get an A in my exams when I was at school), but because I constantly write, whether it’s blog posts or in my journals, I’ve learned a few things about sentence structure, punctuation, grammar and even new words that describe the things I’m trying to explain, all because I’ve written in my journal. Moreover, I’ve also improved my reading skills, by reading the cursive handwriting I’ve written in (believe me it’s difficult at times). So, start that journal, and look back at what you’ve written, in a few years, you’ll see the difference between your earlier entries, and the later ones, so long as you write in your journal regularly.

Start Journaling!

Like I said, it will feel awkward, when you start, and you might even use the words “dear diary” as an opening line, but I promise you, after a while, and once you pick it up as a habit, you’ll find that journaling isn’t so bad. It’s a form of release and creativity. It’ll help with rebalancing your emotions and even help you remember all the crazy ideas you’ve had going through your head, throughout your day. It’s a good way to help with so many different things, so why not take it up? After all, psychologists have said that it’s good for you, so give it a try. It doesn’t hurt.

Well, that’s it from me today. I’m going to go and continue writing in my journal and maintaining my bullet journal as well. While I do that, please don’t forget to like, subscribe, comment, share and follow me, here on Feather’s Charm, on my YouTube channel, on my other social media channels (Instagram, Twitter/X, TikTok), and on Patreon. Your support really does help me make more content like this, for you guys.

And as always, be kind, be creative, and be unique.

I’ll see you later!

Feather, out!