Journaling: Why You Need to Journal
Part 1
By: Anna Hallett, Director, The Writing Party
When I was in junior high school, my English teacher required us to submit a Black Box every Friday. A Black Box was a journal entry, as in “Dear Black Box.” The idea was that we would collect all of our entries at the end of the year, seal them in an envelope of black paper, and not read them for at least ten years.
Because of this assignment, it was many, many, many years before I could convince myself to actively keep a journal. You see, the teacher said he was going to read our Black Boxes each week. There was no grade other than completing it, but I could not write an honest journal knowing my teacher was going to read it. Now I don’t know if he actually read them or not, but I wrote the most boring, mundane trivia about my week just to get credit for the assignment. There was no way I was sharing my innermost junior high girl thoughts with some middle-aged teacher or anyone for that matter.
The problem is that for years after I could not get past the self-consciousness of putting my experiences, thoughts, and feelings down on paper where anyone might read them.
Writing for yourself
Thankfully, I have finally (mostly) overcome my inhibition and can see the value in keeping a journal. Journaling is an opportunity to vent, organize your thoughts, record your experiences, and rejoice in your triumphs. In your journal, you can write without censure and without editing.
Emotional release valve
Journaling helps relieve strong emotions. Sometimes it’s better to get difficult feelings down in writing so you have time to reflect or calm down before you jump into action or say things you’ll regret. Your journal can be a release valve for pent up emotions. Express it in writing rather than bottle it up inside. Say it in writing instead of spending your days spewing a litany of complaints. At times, you just need to spit out the bile before you can move on. Journaling is also a useful way to brainstorm solutions and resolutions to help you move past difficulties and dilemmas blocking your path.
Writing in your journal can also help you to cope with loss and sorrow. Finding the words to express yourself and telling your story can be a valuable part of the healing process.
Positive thinking and goal visualization
Journals are also a valuable place to engage in the power of positive thinking and goal visualization. Make a list of your goals and ambitions. Because no one will see your writing except you, you can even include those goals you might not be ready to share with anyone else. Writing about what you want makes it real and gives you focus. Visualizing yourself succeeding empowers you to act. Write about what you want to accomplish and how you will achieve it. Record the steps you will take and celebrate each milestone as you pass it. Create a list of your successes and remember the hard work you put in to achieve them. Acknowledging to yourself in your journal where you have made the changes in your life you need to reach your goal will give you the positive reinforcement to keep going.
Remember the day
Recording in a journal is an ideal way to preserve your memories, big and small. You may think today you will always remember that amusing incident, that silly thing your toddler said, how you felt when you met the love of your life, or how you kept yourself busy during a global pandemic. I regret hesitating so long to begin journaling because I don’t remember my own stories as well as I would like. It’s fun to reread your journal months or years later to remind yourself of your past adventures. Maybe you will read about a period in your life that seemed awful, insurmountable, but now you can see how strong you really are and how far you have come since then. Or maybe you will read about a special moment of fun that will remind you how delightful and precious your life is.
Writing the joy
Joy is my favorite word. And my favorite emotion. But it is not something I feel frequently. I am often content, happy, or satisfied. For me, joy is bigger, higher, and deeper. Joy is something you want to hold onto. Remember forever. Reflecting on joyful moments can bring back that same feeling. When you write in your journal, remember to focus on the good things in your life. Write about the people, things, and events for which you are grateful and those which give you hope. Describe what makes you laugh, how you danced with abandon, how you won the game, how you sang at the top of your voice, how you loved deeply, and how you gave with an open heart. Write about your joy so you never forget—and reread it often.
You know how they say to dance like no one is watching? Well, I invite you to journal like no one will read it.
When you’re stuck
Some days the blank page of your journal is too intimidating. If you don’t feel like writing, don’t. Journaling is for you and should be a pleasure and not a chore. On those days when you’re in the mood to write but don’t know where to begin, journal prompts can be helpful. These prompts are meant to help you explore your thoughts, memories, feelings, and state of mind.
Journal Prompts
- Write about a moment of joy in your life.
- Write about a moment of heartache in your life.
- List five things you like about yourself.
- Write about a time you felt alone.
- Write about a time you felt loved.
- What do you want to be remembered for?
- List your goals for today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, and in ten years.
- Record a fond memory.
- Describe current events.
- If you could fix one problem in your life, what would you fix?
- Write about an embarrassing moment.
- Write about something funny that you experienced, saw, heard, or read.
“For any writer who wants to keep a journal, be alive to everything, not just to what you’re feeling, but also to your pets, to flowers, to what you’re reading.”
-May Sarton
For more writing ideas, order The Writing Party Inspirations or Contact Us to schedule a Writing Party event in your area, for your private group, or as a corporate team building event.
To see other writing inspiration ideas like Journaling: Why You Need to Journal, check out The Writing Party Articles Page.