In honor of Dear Diary Day celebrated on September 22nd.
In honor of Dear Diary Day celebrated on September 22nd, here is a list of benefits to writing in a diary or journal that I learned from experience.
In case it's helpful, below are the main points covered in this post:
Benefits
I have addressed this topic previously while sharing my thoughts about Personal Blogging After 4 Years and Ways I Personally De-Stress, but I felt this topic deserved its own standalone post.
Below are the benefits of diary or journal writing that I learned from experience.
Stress Relief
I keep a diary/journal for writing out my frustrations, concerns, issues, or fears. Sometimes, I de-stress through a public blog post, like when I wrote about The Worst Thing I Heard Following My Mom's Hospital Stay. However, I write about my more private thoughts in a diary/journal.
I started writing in a diary/journal as a young teen. It served as a way for me to express my emotions quietly and secretly. There was no one I could talk to during my youth, so writing kept me sane and calm when I otherwise wanted to scream at the top of my lungs until police arrived to take me away.
Memory Keeping
Writing allowed me to document events, encounters, and thoughts. I prefer to write a detailed retelling of something when I have the time to do so. Sometimes I write a bullet list of things that happened or thoughts that ran through my mind when I am short on time.
I have forgotten a lot of things I wrote about as a teen, but it is in writing if I ever want or need to revisit some moment from my past. Recently, several suppressed memories have resurfaced. It has been nice, for curiosity and sanity's sake, to look through my old diary/journal entries to compare my memory with my written account of it from years ago.
I especially loved re-reading about the good things from my past. It is an emotionally boost, reminding me that my youth or young adult years were not all bad.
Improved Mental Health
As I put my thoughts onto paper, I cleared my mind and released my emotions instead of letting everything build up inside. Once I wrote about everything that I wanted to get off my chest, I was able to think more clearly about my life. I have found writing to be therapeutic and relaxing with time.
It is hard for me to say this, even in writing, but I believe keeping a diary/journal played a role in me not 'ending it all.' My entries were primarily negative, but writing about the few good things in life gave me a sliver of hope. It also helped that I read entries months or years after writing it.
Self-Reflection
Re-reading old diary/journal entries was always challenging for me. For over a decade, I primarily wrote about the bad things in life. However, reading about the few good things I documented helped me organize my thoughts, beliefs, needs, and wants.
Focus and Goal Setting
While reflecting on what has happened and how I dealt with everything, I was able to focus on ways to move on from parts of my past. I eventually started writing entries that listed pros, cons, what/if scenarios, and whatever else that would help me decide what to do next. From there, I imagined personal goals I wanted to achieve in life.
Motivation
When I make the effort to reflect and focus on goal setting, I am sometimes motivated to do whatever it takes to achieve my goals. After hating life during my pre-teen and teenage years, my main goal was to become happier and like myself more each day.
Writing was like rebooting a computer or gaming console. It allowed me to disconnect from reality temporarily as I sorted through my thoughts on paper. No, it did not all negative thoughts or feelings, but it was often enough to give me enough motivation to focus on my well-being. If I am well, then I am better able to provide support to the people I care about when needed.
What's Next?
There are more benefits to writing in a diary and other examples promoting the benefits I listed in this post. In honor of Dear Diary Day, I encourage you to read other blog posts and articles about the benefits of writing in a diary.
If you think it would be helpful, consider giving diary/journal writing a try to document memories and relieve stress for your own mental health and well-being!
Comment below to share your experiences with keeping a diary/journal! Do you write often? Did you try and give up leaving empty pages in your book? I would like to hear from you!
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Thanks, and have a great day!
~Simply Jelly Jam
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