Dear Diary,
Emotions are extremely tricky to navigate, especially when you have no outlet for them. That’s where the art of journaling comes in. The beauty of journaling is that you can say whatever you want because the contents don’t have to be seen by anyone but you. You don’t have to be a writer to spill out your emotions into a notebook; all you need is a pen.
Stress-Free Living
Journaling is such a good source of mental clarity. According to verywellmind,
“Journaling can help you clarify your thoughts and feelings because it is no longer all jumbled up in your mind. As a result, you may gain valuable self-knowledge and insight.”
All of these thoughts and emotions aren’t supposed to be built up and stored in your head; they’ll make you go insane.
Unleashing your feelings instead of keeping them locked inside feels like the first breath you take after emerging from the water. It makes you feel lighter—you’re not carrying around all of the dead weight of emotion.
Clarity
Taking a step back and looking at everything you’ve written gives you a clearer sense of what’s going on inside your head. Instead of having all your thoughts scream at you from each corner of your brain, writing them down gives you the space needed to examine each one individually. This helps you understand what’s truly happening and how to go about solving each issue.
Once the chaos of your mind is on paper, you can begin to dissect it and start the problem-solving process. With a clear mind, you’re able to think more rationally, making decisions based on reason and not emotion. This clarity allows you to assess whether you’ve been overreacting or figure out the steps needed to resolve the problem.
Boosting Self-Confidence
Not everything you write in your journal has to focus on the negative. You can also write about all of your accomplishments throughout the day, no matter how big or small.
Writing about your positive experiences—like someone holding the door open for you or making eye contact with that specific person in class—can help you see all of the little moments that make your day better. These small things that keep you going. When you write them down, you can look back and see all the good that happened. This reminds you that there’s more to your day than just all of the negative experiences.
What are your thoughts on journaling? Let us know on Instagram @VALLEYMag!
