10 Reasons you should Keep a Journal

Perhaps you have been told throughout your life to keep a journal, but try as you might, you just cannot seem to get the motivation to keep one up. Perhaps the idea has never interested you, or maybe writing is not your forte and you feel foolish. You could even be a really good journal writer who is currently lacking a little bit of inspiration. Whatever your circumstance, there are many good reasons to keep a journal. Let’s take a look at ten of them.

1. Increase Gratitude

It is so easy to get swept up in the negative things in our lives. Plans don’t go the way you wanted them to, things outside of your control throw you for a loop, and then there are just those days when the world seems against you. Keeping a gratitude journal can help you acknowledge the good in your life, both on days that are wonderful and on days that are hard.

2. Relieve Stress

Even if you are a “glass half full” person, there are going to be times when you just need to vent. A journal can provide great stress relief as you let out all of your pent up feelings. This is also a much better way to cope instead of keeping things inside.

3. Build Self-Awareness

As you write more consistently in your journal, you are able to gain greater insight into yourself as you write about your beliefs, your goals, and your passions. When you go back and review your journal, you get to know yourself better. You can develop a greater understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, thus allowing an opportunity for growth.

4. Leave a Legacy for the Future

Have you ever wondered what life was like for your grandparents or what your ancestors thought was important in their day? Writing in a journal allows for your posterity to be able to better know where they came from. They may even find comfort and wisdom as they see how you tackled problems similar to those they face.

5. Overcome Challenges

The only thing constant in life is change and having a record of how you have dealt with changes in the past can help you to know how to handle future challenges. As mentioned in this article, journal writing can help us develop critical thinking skills that will be beneficial as we strive to overcome the next challenge life throws at us.

6. Get Serious about Goals

Studies have shown that writing down your goals makes it much more likely that you will find success. By writing your goals down in your journal, not only will you have made a written commitment to them, but you will have them written in a place where you can review them often. As you accomplish your goals, you can write about your accomplishments and set yourself up to be successful with future goals as you develop discipline and confidence.

7. Save Mementos

Concert tickets, dried flowers, and “I voted” stickers are all great, small mementos you can glue to the pages in your journal to add meaning to your entries. As you write about significant events in your life, try to include a little memento that will be fun to have for years to come.

8. Record Important Dates and Events

As you take the time to write in your journal, be sure to make note of important life events, such as births, weddings, deaths, graduations, and even big trips. There will come a time when you may not be able to remember when something took place and your journal will come in handy as a great record of these important events.

9. List of Quotes

Journals can also be a great place to keep a list of quotes that are inspiring, motivational, or even spiritual. The process of writing them down will help you remember them and then when you need a little boost in the future, you will have your own book full of quotes that have meaning specifically for you.

10. Keep a Log

If you already keep a journal or you do not want to have one that is too sentimental, there are many other types of journals that would be useful to better yourself. Use a journal as a log for things like your workouts, nutrition, hobbies or even milestones in your child’s life. These logs can help you stay on top of goals, keep you motivated, and help you see how far you have come as you continue to progress.

No matter your reasons, journal writing can be an enhancement to your life. As you continue to write you will find fulfillment in documenting important events and treasure them for years to come.

Some of our favorite journals:

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, follow our YouTube Channel, and watch our day to day happenings on Pinterest and Instagram!

Posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link your cost will be the same, but My Mommy Style will receive a small commission. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Click on the photos below to check out more healthy living posts: