The Benefits of Keeping a Journal

Have you ever been curious about journaling? Read below to learn more about it!

Lainey Banks, Staff Reporter|September 7, 2022

Taking up journaling provides an easy outlet to express emotions, feelings, or thoughts on paper. Journaling is not only a fun hobby, but it is also a form of self-expression. It can form guidelines that outline future goals, ideas, or aspirations– meaning it can turn into pretty much anything!

How You Can Start

You can order or purchase a journal pretty much anywhere– and if you already have an old journal or notebook, that works too! The hardest part is actually thinking of something to write about.

If you don’t know what to write about, you can find many different ideas online. Something that works well for me is Pinterest. I like to write and sketch in my journal, and I get doodle ideas from different Pins on Pinterest. As long as the message or art means something to you, it doesn’t matter where it comes from or what it is inspired by! That’s the beauty of journaling.

Like I mentioned above, journaling is not limited to just writing. You can use your journal as a sketchbook, a place to write, or both!

Prompt Ideas

How have major events in your life effected you?

Write about someone or something that’s important to you

Keep a daily log

Write about the highlights/lowlights of each day

Pros of Keeping a Journal

Journaling can help you figure out your own emotions

You can track your life progress– journaling can serve as a timeline to show personal growth

Journaling can help you prioritize your problems, fears, and concerns.

Scientifically proven to help with*:

Mental health
Memory
Wellbeing
Mindfulness
Communication skills

Here are a few examples of how a journal can look…

If your journal doesn’t look anything like these examples, that’s okay too! The point of journaling is to find what’s ideal for you, so make your journal something you want.