Dear Diary
Life coaches, mental health professionals and holistic practitioners often agree about the therapeutic benefits of keeping a journal. Whether you use the old-fashioned pen and paper or post weblogs to record your thoughts, journaling provides a means to discover who you are and can help with making decisions. Reviewing journal entries from the past often provides insights into behavior patterns and allows us to see our growth and maturity.
The biggest complaint about journaling is the time it takes, but once it becomes a habit, people very often notice tangible benefits associated with the practice. Some of the benefits of journaling include:
- Stress reduction - You can't always yell at your boss, but you can write down what you would like to say! This helps relieve the internal pressure from the anger you might be feeling.
- Organization - Journaling helps you organize your thoughts and your life with to-do lists, goals or dreams.
- Provides a life history - Journaling helps to preserve snippets of your life and provides a record of your thoughts and memories for those who come after you.
- Aids in decision-making - Often when you face a tough decision, it helps to write about the pros and cons of one option over another.
- Facilitates self-discovery - Writing in a journal allows you to be who you are, in a non-structured creative forum.
Some people like to try writing at different times of the day. Others like the routine of writing every night to review the day's events or every morning to plan the day. It's up to you. After all, it's all about your self-expression!
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