The Power of Journaling
Journaling can be done in any environment and provides a safe space for people.
February 21, 2023
When you were a kid, you may have owned a diary where you wrote about your class crush, and it needed a password to unlock. Now you may think you’re too old for that, but you can still express your thoughts and feelings on paper by journaling. Similar to a diary, you can record events in them, but with journaling, you’re more likely to express feelings, hopes, and thoughts.
Journaling can be an excellent outlet for people who need to vent. Instead of constantly relying on a friend to rant to or bottling up your emotions, journaling is an easily accessible resource to manage your mental health. It can help manage anxiety, reduce stress, and cope with depression (University of Rochester Medical Center). Not only that but it can also be used as a source of motivation. Some people journal to track their goals or organize plans. Simran Vaswani (9) explains, “Just writing down your feelings and thoughts is a good way to stay organized in your mind and in your life.”
There is no “right way” to journal. People have the freedom to write and express things however they want. Thus, it has been proven that journaling inspires creativity (University of St. Augustine). Some people keep it simple by using black pens to express their feelings and write about events in their life, whereas others find it nice to use colors and use the journal for multiple purposes: such as writing their goals, logging their dreams, and writing down their feelings.
There are many forms of journaling. People may write daily about their thoughts and events. Although it may be uneventful, it can help people reflect on their day and keep a record of it. Others journal through visuals or art by using pictures or drawings to express themselves. This can include photos of a time they felt really happy or drawings that express how they are feeling in the current moment.
Many people think you have to journal in a little book on paper, but it can even be done online. You can simply just write down your thoughts in the Notes app of your phone, or, if you wanna take it further, you can download apps such as Grid Diary, Five Minute Journal, or Day One. Some people may not have the time to sit down and take out a pen and paper to express their thoughts and need to vent at the moment. These digital tools make it easy for people to document still and express themselves.
Are you interested in journaling, but don’t know where to start? It’s simple. There are no rules to it. You just need to find the right type of journaling that suits you, but this may require some experimenting with all the different types. It isn’t to be judged by anyone else, so you could be as creative as you would like. Whether it is a mess of pages and colors or a simple moleskin book filled with your daily events and thoughts, you should do what best suits you.
