The Art of Journaling

Everyone seems to have embraced self-care this 2021. This might be due to the truckload of negativity that 2020 brought. Journaling is an activity many have taken up in a bid to be more conscious of self-development. In this article author Anene Dumebi will be telling us all about the fun in journaling. What is it? Journaling is recording daily thoughts, experiences or activities in written form. Why do it?Writing down thoughts, activities can help with processing emotions, recording memorable events, reflecting on life's blessings, expressing gratitude and just having a place to vent. Why should I keep a journal? There are several benefits you can get from keeping a journal. Some of which includes: Keeping track of your personal development: In the journey to personal development, one can easily lose sight of the quality of progress one has made over time. Such a person starts to doubt the process he or she has adopted to achieve personal development and will want to switch it up. A journal where you have documented your milestones will be able to tell if you are not on the right track. Helps with intrusive thoughts: For people who have anxiety, journaling does a lot in dispersing constant thoughts. Writing things down gives your mind a different type of relief, Yes, I can see it now, so I can tackle it. Arthur Pennebaker, the author of Writing to Heal says, "When we translate an experience into language, we essentially make the experience graspable”. Studies also show that journaling helps to reduce stress. Inspiration: If you are a content creator or someone that needs to constantly think up new ideas on how to achieve a particular goal frequently, documenting everyday thoughts will go a long way in feeding your ideas bank. Reading through your journal will make you remember the ideas or the eureka moments you forgot. Improves memory: Going back to what you have written before will increase your ability to remember events. As you read your journal you will simultaneously remember the events that took place before you wrote the entry or the event that made you write that entry or even what happened after you wrote the entry. Achieving set goals: A lot of life strategists will say writing your goals down is a step to achieving that goal. Bringing your goals out of your subconscious and into the conscious, which is the medium you use to the journal will make you realize that the goal is real and will make you accountable to work thoughtfully towards reaching that goal. So, do I just get a pen and a paper and write whatever I do daily? Yes, girl journaling is that easy. Traditionally it involves a pen and a paper but with the world becoming more technology forward, journaling can be done through different means. You can use the usual, pen and paper, social media like Twitter, a blog or a document on your laptop or phone. When starting a journal, it might be hard to write every day but writing two times a week or three times a week consistently can lead your mind to remind you to write daily. What you want to write in a journal depends on what type of journal you want to keep. For instance, a personal journal is what you use to write down your personal experiences like hiking with the girls or touring a new city while a planner journal is for planning your day, you write all the things you want to get done that day. It is similar to a to-do list. You might also have a spiritual journal, a dream journal or a gratitude journal. Happy scribbling! AUTHOR: Anene Dumebi