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Now's probably the right time to pull a Timothee Chalamet on you and say, "No, I'm just kidding!" Journaling is awesome!
When I was a little kid I used to keep a diary just like any other ordinary child. But I slowly drifted off of that habit. The reason for this could have been that I had nothing much to write about, and my entries looked so terribly bland no matter how neat and pretty I tried to make it. Plus, after seeing all sorts of perfect looking journal entries with flawless calligraphy and loads of stickers, it seemed like maintaining a journal was too much work and something that I couldn't keep up with.
However, I started writing on a journal once again. Not a fancy journal with stickers and all that, but one where I write down all the rubbish in my head and vent out the rage I've kept bottled up inside. Man, let me tell you how satisfying that was!
Benefits of Keeping a Journal
There are many different reasons why a person would keep a journal or why they should do so. Some of them are:
Fun and Aesthetics Putting together a journal can be really fun. Especially so when you've got a bunch of stickers, pretty washi tapes, and colored pens for decorations, and lots of interesting things to jot down. And let's admit, all those exquisite journal snaps on Pinterest and Instagram got you craving to have a journal for yourself, yes? On that note, if you'd like to make your own bullet journal stickers, check out my post on Make Your Own Bullet Journal Stickers From Scratch
Reminders Writing down a list of tasks you have to complete is a great way to make sure you don't miss them and get them done on time. Don't write your to-do list on random scraps of paper and stick them wherever like I used to do because, trust me, you will later on crumple it up and toss it in the bin forgetting it was your to-do list. By writing it on a fixed journal you can make it a habit to check it every now and then and you'll be good to go.
Memos There are moments when you have sudden inspirations, thoughts, epiphanies, plot ideas, etc. and they can be so fleeting that they almost immediately slip out of your mind. Journals can be used to jot down such fleeting thoughts so that you don't lose them. And sometimes while you're either reading something, watching a video, or going through social media, you may come across things that blow your mind or just makes so much sense. My advice: just write them down. Because if you're anything like me, you'll be forgetting the heck out of it like it never existed.
Outlet for emotions Like I mentioned earlier, writing is great way to get rid of all the sad and angry thoughts building up inside your head. I feel like bottling up emotions is something that most teenagers and young adults are forced to do because according to society it's "wrong" and "disrespectful" to speak back to your elders even if they treat you like garbage. Ahem, looks like my article is taking a bit of a dark turn so let's get back on track!
Focus A lot of students have a hard time focusing on one topic at a time since their mind jumps from one subject to another at incredible speeds. This is more prominent in people who suffer from ADHD. While some may refer to it as multi-tasking, it can make people much less productive when it comes to things like studying. Anyway, writing on a journal helps you keep track of your erratic thoughts. It lets you focus on one matter continuously for a while as you write it down. Hence, journaling is a good way to build up on a concept (maybe the plot of a story) without halting midway and jumping onto something else.
Doodling I don't know if it's just me or if you guys too get an urge to simply scribble nonsense into the pages of a book. Back when I didn't have a journal I simply tried to get over it by doing nothing. In fact, I don't think I even noticed it was a real thing. But one day, when I felt this odd impulse to scribble, I did it on my journal and that felt so good. It was like I finally scratched the itch rather than letting it fester.
Wrapping up
As you can see, there are many benefits of maintaining a journal, and I highly suggest you to try it out as well if you're not doing so already. In case you'd like to get yourself a fancy journal to start off, you can go through the recommended products below. And if you want to know about the different varieties of journals available to pick from, stay tuned for my next post!
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