After nearly 20 years of journaling, I realized that everyone should be doing this one thing

(First published in Readers Hope. Reposted by permission.) 4 min read

I have been journaling for years.

There is a box in my office full of journals I have had since 2004. That’s right, nearly 20 years of journals. They have my ideas and worries and capture the events that have gone on in my life over the years.

And I am not done yet.

I have found there to be an immense power in journaling. It has helped me find clarity and emotional stability and even solve problems. Most of all, it is like having a space to remove what bothers me and listen for what is good.

“Journaling is like whispering to one’s self and listening at the same time.”
– Mina Murray in Bram Stoker’s Dracula

In a world where technology is taking over and life is becoming more fast-paced, journaling remains a timeless and effective tool for self-improvement.

Whether kept in a handwritten notebook, a digital file, or even a specialized app, journaling gives people a distinct place to think, process, and learn essential life lessons.

This article examines the many advantages journaling offers to one’s mental, emotional, and even physical health and its transformational potential.

A Personal Journey

“Journal writing, when it becomes a ritual for transformation, is not only life-changing but life-expanding.” — Jen Williamson

Journaling is fundamentally a very personal process. It offers a secure space where people can freely share their ideas, emotions, and experiences without fear of rejection.

People can externalize their innermost ideas and make sense of complex emotions and life’s threads when they put pen to paper or fingers to keys.

Action Step: Set aside three to five minutes daily to journal. Let your thoughts run freely onto the pages while you write, free from self-censorship or criticism.

Emotional Release and Stress Reduction

“Journaling is like a whisper to the soul, an emotional release that heals and rejuvenates.” — Mari L. McCarthy, Heal Yourself with Journaling Power

The capacity of journaling to act as a channel for releasing emotions is among its most obvious advantages.

Writing about difficult situations, annoyances, or fears can be therapeutic and an excellent way to release bottled-up feelings. Research has indicated that this procedure can lower stress levels, elevate mood, and enhance general well-being.

Action Step: Set aside a specific area in your journal for writing about your feelings. Use this area to release tension or emotional weight, permitting oneself to let go.

Clarity and Problem Solving

“Journaling is the first step to self-discovery, and self-discovery is the key to clarity.” — Darryn Kirschner

Moreover, journaling is an effective method for problem-solving and clarity. Writing helps people arrange their ideas and consider other viewpoints when faced with tough choices or uncertainties.

Solutions frequently become more evident during this process, and people feel more empowered as they understand they can overcome obstacles.

Action Step: Spend some time outlining the benefits and drawbacks of any difficult decision you are faced with. Keep a notebook to record your observations and brainstorm ideas from many perspectives.

Tracking Personal Growth

“Your journal is like a compass; it may not point north, but it will guide you to where you need to go.” — Jessica de la Davies

Maintaining a journal offers concrete documentation of one’s evolving personal development. Reviewing previous postings, people can recognize trends, reoccurring themes, and accomplishments.

This backward-looking viewpoint emphasizes the importance of continuous self-improvement by fostering a sense of continuity and development.

Action Step: Designate a particular day of the month to review your journal entries. Make a note of your progress, pinpoint your areas for growth, and decide on new objectives for the next month.

Enhanced Creativity and Self-Expression

“Journaling opens the door to your creative mind, inviting it to dance on the pages of your soul.” — Alexandra Elle

Beyond its therapeutic advantages, journaling can foster self-expression and creativity. People can freely explore ideas, express dreams, and develop a closer relationship with their inner selves by writing in journals.

Journaling’s unrestricted format fosters an abundance of creativity that can be utilized for creative projects, problem-solving, or self-exploration.

Action Step: Set aside time in your journal for artistic expression. Compose poetry, sketch, or experiment with any creative medium that speaks to you.

Final Thoughts on Journaling

Amidst the hectic pace of contemporary life, journaling remains a potent and easily attainable method for personal development.

Journaling opens people’s potential and provides a route to self-discovery, emotional release, and improved well-being through its therapeutic, contemplative, and artistic aspects.

The straightforward practice of writing continues to be a timeless companion as we traverse the complexity of our lives, leading us toward self-awareness and transformation.

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The above article was posted by Jackie Houchin.

by Gail Kittleson

Decades ago, some friends invited us to go rafting on a local stream. I thought our son, three years old at the time, would be excited, but he said,

“I’m scared of those rabbits, Mommy.”

“Rabbits?”

“Yeah. Evelyn said we’re going to come to some rabbits…”

Those rapids would’ve scared me, too, if I thought they might hop into our raft. After a bit of explanation about the mild rapids, our son loved rafting.

Misunderstandings often ground our fears, and this proves true with writing. Being afraid to express our anxieties in black and white originates in false assumptions:

What we write may be used against us.
There’s a ‘right’ way to write, and we haven’t learned how.
Once we write something down, we’re bound to the perspective we embraced at the time.
Once written, our words will be “golden,” and therefore, we can’t destroy them.

First of all, what we write may be used against us. But this is no reason to forego all the benefits of the process. Writing in a safe place that no one ever sees has done wonders for many people experiencing trials.

The feeling that we have no control over who might see what we write can keep us bound by the tide of emotions swirling inside us. Launching out to safely journal our thoughts, tied irrevocably to those emotions, may seem beyond our power.

In order to take this tentative step, we must unlearn the second misconception, that there’s a ‘right’ way to write. Nothing could be farther from the truth. No perfect method for expressing what we feel exists.

In fact, the ‘perfect way’ will be the way our words come out. Each person’s story contains unique content, since it comes from our one-of-a-kind inner being. Each of us perceives even the identical situation with variations.

A family outsider, my sister, or my brother will see what I remember differently than I do. But my first feeble step—even if that amounts to writing one short paragraph about what’s transpiring inside me—unleashes immense healing power.

Now to the third misnomer: we are not bound by our viewpoint at any given time. A glance around us reveals that everything changes constantly. The only constant is change, as they say.

If I still looked at what I experienced fifteen years ago with the same eyes, I would be in big trouble. But the thing is, I would never have arrived at my present perspective if I hadn’t started writing down my thoughts and feelings.

At the time, my journal pages seemed somehow sacred, and they were. But as the years have passed, I’ve grown, and at certain points, I let go of certain writings from the pasts. Burned them, because they no longer seemed ‘golden.’ Some of them, I kept and edited. And re-edited, and re-re-edited into a memoir. That’s not the route for everyone, but proved to be an important part of my journey.

The point is, your writings are your writings. You have the right to choose what to do with them, including chucking them down a sinkhole never to be seen again.

And the broader point is that in the darkness of an emotional avalanche, we cannot even know what we think. By allowing words to flow from us, we invite clarity, and through this process, discover truths we would never have imagined.

Words equal an enormous gift—penned quietly in secret places, they blossom like hidden desert plants that bloom in darkness, where no one observes. But their flowers bear perfume, attracting the necessary insects for pollination. It may be that we will rework and launch our writings into a published memoir, but either way, this practice can become a powerful experience.

“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than You.”

Dr. Seuss

When Gail’s not steeped in World War II historical research, writing, or editing, you’ll find her reading for fun, gardening, or enjoying her grandchildren in Northern Iowa. She delights in interacting with readers who fall in love with her characters.

Gail Kittleson taught college expository writing and ESL before writing women’s historical fiction. From northern Iowa, she facilitates writing workshops and women’s retreats, and enjoys the Arizona Ponderosa forest in winter.

Catching Up With Daylight; a Journey to Wholeness, is Gail’s own memoir. She and her husband began renovating an old house after he returned from a deployment in Iraq. The book is “a gorgeous tapestry of non-fictional thoughts. This very gifted author knows how to weave her thoughts, memories, and the history of the old house she is refurbishing into a journey of emotional and spiritual wholeness.”

Women of the Heartland, Gail’s World War II series, highlights women of The Greatest Generation: In Times Like These, April 2016, With Each New Dawn, February, 2017 A True Purpose (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, and Word Crafts Press, December, 2017.)