The magic of journaling: a life-changing experience

Vol 27, Issue 6, 18 October 2024

Journaling helps us free our minds from our thoughts and emotions, and sort of reload ourselves. It creates a non-judgmental space for you to share your feelings and experiences, while processing events that happened to you during the day. Moreover, it is a part of your self-care through giving yourself time and space. 

Another approach to journaling is that it can help you to heal and process your trauma. By writing down your emotions, you can significantly lower stress levels, reduce pain and bring peace to your mind. 

Additionally, many of us face the problem of time passing too fast and unnoticed. Keeping a journal helps us to memorize events of our lives in a certain period of it. Therefore, we could actually keep track of what happened and how it made us feel. 

A lot of successful and famous people kept journals. They helped them record their feelings and analyze their current position in life. Among these people are:  

• Anne Frank, who kept journal during Nazi occupation and 2 years of hiding in Amsterdam. 

• Leonardo Da Vinci, who kept a record of his ideas, inventions and studies. 

• Marie Curie, who was noting her work in the lab.  

• Lewis Carroll, who kept a record of the events in his life since he was 10 years old. 

You may wonder where you should start at this point. The answer is: it does not matter at all! Do not think of journaling as an activity where you have to keep a streak, accomplish something, compete or prove. Instead, think of it as a beneficial activity for your health. It might be really hard to start and to write those first words, but after the first sentence I promise it does get better. If you are wondering where to start from, you could just start from the phrase “I do not know what to write here and I feel like this is the stupidest idea of mine” and then you could explain why you feel this way and wow… you are already journaling! While it was hard and confusing to start, now you know how it goes.  

Here comes the hardest part… to keep it up. It has been a challenge for all of us, to make some activity a habit. But keeping a journal is something different. It is not necessary to write it every single day, because the point of it is not to discipline yourself, but to enjoy the advantages that it brings! Make it simple and do whatever feels right. Remember: there is nothing to prove! 

“Journal writing gives us insights into who we are, who we were, and who we can become.” – Sandra Marinella