“Dear Diary… Today I saw Jane and she looked as beautiful as ever… more importantly, she looked in my direction…”
When someone mentions keeping a journal or diary it is normally associated with being all mushy, touchy and emotional but that is not the whole truth.
Journaling, simply put, is the recording of one’s thoughts, observations and experiences and there is nothing despisable about that. Yes, journaling can entail getting into the mushy feelings we sometimes do not like to admit to but it can also be a written record of those million dollar ideas – you know, the ones that you have before you go to bed and forget by the time you get up and leave for work in the morning. As such, journaling can be both private (think a notebook under your bed or password protected document) or public like a blog.
Whether you are simply getting into the grit of emotion or keeping track of your million dollar ideas, journaling has benefits we can all enjoy:
Improvement in vocabulary
Just like learning to ride a bike or anything else, with continuous practice comes continuous improvement. Journaling helps your vocabulary in the same way – there may be days when things happen during the course of the day that you may not be able to immediately describe to your liking, thus commencing a constant attempt at trying to articulate. In so doing and in the search for words and terminology to communicate these experiences, you learn new words and new ways of expressing how you feel, beginning your journey of continuous improvement of both your vocabulary as well as your overall communication skills.
Journaling does not necessarily have to be a daily task but can be an ongoing thing.
Boost in Self Confidence
After being yourself in your writing for a while, you will become more confident in being your unapologetic self and expressing how you really feel about things and life in general. By repeatedly and continuously exploring your thoughts and ideas through writing, you develop a deeper sense of self and understanding of who you are. Little by little you begin to feel more comfortable expressing that self.
Because you are writing for yourself, by yourself, and with yourself the need to hide the parts of you that you may think are “weird” and/ or “bad” decreases and you become free to write whatever you want whether it’s an idea that is way out of the box that might sound like nonsense at the moment or some weird thing that makes you happy, sad or angry; it’s all there for you to see and critically analyze as you see fit.
Keeping track of progress
I remember looking back at some of my old school assignments (and Facebook Posts) Whew! I just want to write an apology to anyone who ever had to subject themselves to my ramblings. It is hard to remember when I became better at writing, or that I became better at all. Luckily for me I had my old assignments to show that even though I didn’t feel like I improved, I have proof that I’m not as bad as I used to be. Even though I still may not be where I want to be, I could still have some comfort in the fact that I am a work in progress and I am making progress.
Creativity boost
In your journal, you are free to be whom or whatever you want, write anything you want and allow all the “weirdness” inside to run free. There is no one there to judge you but yourself. So whether you want to write for everyone to see it (like this blog) or just a little book for yourself, go for it…..Your inner creative genius will thank you in the future.
It is Therapeutic
Saying what you really want to say at times can get you into trouble, especially when you are angry. Because these thoughts go unexpressed, they sometimes linger making them so much easier to slip out on that friend, acquaintance or co-worker that rubs you the wrong way. With journaling, you get to put some distance between you and the situation and sometimes realize how small it really is. You also get to let out the things you wanted to say without getting in trouble (double win). There is also a relief when you say (or write) the things that you know would get you in trouble if it is seen. Let that inner rebel free today! He/She may be more fun than you realize.
In Conclusion
There’s something about journaling where you can be carefree and creative.
Whether you are male or female, journaling can be fun and helpful to you.
Call it what you may, a journal, a diary or just a book of words, writing is educational and beneficial (and might help you not to lose those future million dollar ideas to forgetfulness!) So engage your inner rock star today by picking up a notebook and write yourself the story of your life.