Many people keep a journal or diary when they are a child, but how many keep up with this habit into adulthood? Research suggests that abandoning this childhood ritual may mean missing out on some great benefits. While there are endless reasons to keep a journal, there are two that are so beneficial that they should be all the convincing you need.
1. Relieve Anxiety
We live in a stressful world. Adults reporting anxiety problems are becoming more and more common. Keeping a daily journal, either at the beginning or end of the day, helps to relieve tension, organize your thoughts, and gives you a chance to reflect on the highs and lows of the day. It’s important to remind yourself that no one but you ever needs to read what you write. The writing doesn’t have to be good. The things you write in your journal don’t need to be interesting. The only goal is to get all of those nagging thoughts out of your head and onto the page.
2. Enhance Creativity
If you are a creative soul, journaling can help you hone your craft. Especially for writers, journaling is a perfect way to open the door to our creative mind without our self-critical inner voices chiming in. By writing down anything and everything that goes through your mind when you sit down to write, we can teach our brains to let our ideas flow more freely. While journaling can make you a better writer, or a better artist of any kind, we all need creativity in our lives. Journaling can clear away the stress and mundane thoughts of the day and open your mind to more unusual thoughts and ideas.
While many people consider keeping a journal to be a childish habit, most adults could benefit from giving it a try. There is no need to invest in a fancy diary with those ineffectual locks. A simple spiral-bound notebook will do. Simply write down whatever comes to you. You may be surprised at the results!
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