I have a diary with a big beautiful green leather cover. Just wait till you open it, it emits a rich smell of wood. Every time, the fragrance gets me so much that I don’t know if that’s the reason there are so many blank pages. Aside from the satisfying feeling I get from my regular actions while handling the diary, it’s always on the shelf. I’ve somehow limited its powers. And that’s not good.
This is because I am not helping the diary live up to its purpose. I am not utilizing what I term as the power of journaling even if I know how benefiting it is to us. It helps to unburden the weight of unsaid words and jumbled up statements in your mind. Every word you write removes each layer of thought that could have been damaging if you let them pile up.
I don’t want you to be like me. So I’ll show you…
THE ESSENCE OF JOURNALING
- For recording purposes
Every day, we keep dates, we jot down ideas for businesses, projects, to do list, even shopping list. There won’t be history books today if archaeologists didn’t unravel notes written by notable individuals who have been long dead. The importance of keeping records cannot be overemphasized as generations yet unborn would need to learn what happened centuries ago just by reading those history books. To properly implement strategies, it is expedient to write them somewhere.
2. Therapy
Sometimes, what you just need aside from talking to someone is writing. It’s a special kind of action liberating you from choking thoughts. Experts recommend it as a relieving exercise. It gives you an opportunity to talk to yourself and know how to identify negative thoughts when they come and how to control then.
3. There is a connection between you and your goals when you journal
It bridges the gap between you and your goals. By doing this, you can always go back and keep reciting them so that you don’t lose focus. You can even go as far as writing daily goals, it helps you to prioritize them and to take note of the ones you’ve worked on.
4. For easy remembrance
When ever I want to go to the market, I find it easier to write all I need to buy so that once I get there, I just start purchasing while ticking off the ones I’ve already bought. It saves me from the stress of perambulating round the market thinking of what I am missing out.
HOW TO JOURNAL
You want this? Then Take these easy steps:
- Get a journaling tool of your choice
You can either buy a physical one or go online. Here are examples of journal apps you can use:
- Day One for Mac and iOS users
- Diarium for Windows users
- Journey for cross-platform journaling
- Penzu for secure journaling
- Momento for social media power users
- Grid Diary for template journaling
- Five Minute Journal for beginners
- Daylio for non-writers
- Look for a quiet environment where you can sit and think, connect with yourself about your happy, sad or angry moments and express it by writing. Remember to give details of anything you’re writing about. Here are samples of what to write about if you’re finding it difficult to…
- Places you’ve visited
- Things you thought you’d never be able to do
- Your admirers
- Your favorite food
- Your favorite pastime
- Your favorite music genre
- Your values.
- How you felt when you first encountered failure
And the list goes on and on…
Of course, to avoid your thoughts being scattered in different places, you could get journals for different aspects of your life. You can also call them types of journal. I listed a few below;
- Bullet Journal.
- Dream Journal.
- Travel Journal.
- Food Journal.
- Gratitude Journal.
- Project Journal.
- Diary Journal.
- One Line A Day Journal.
With these simple tips, I hope you understand how important it is to be constantly involved in journaling? If you have contributions, let’s meet in the comments section.
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