Reasons to Keep a Journal

A bit of a stationery addict, I used to have the tendency to buy (or have bought for me) many a beautiful notebook. This being said, I rarely managed to maintain or keep-up with writing in them. Each year I would make a resolution to keep a regular journal and each year’s end I ended up with a perfect account of January which seemed to waiver and fade out after early February of each year.

Then, something changed. I saw some pins on Pinterest with illustrated journals (check them out here). Journals that weren’t just full of reems and reems of words, but of paintings, doodles, pictures, tickets, photographs. These journals screamed LIFE. Some were beautiful and eloquent with fine watercolours, perfect calligraphy and a scrapbook arrangement of photos… but they weren’t all pristine and of the best handwriting. Some were raw & messy, a collection of words thrown together on a page. And then I realised that’s what life is like. Sometimes it’s full of highs; beautiful moments which you want to remember forever, if only you could hold onto that sight/smell/taste/emotion. Other times it’s full of lows; stresses and strains; to-do lists longer than your arm with little time to spare; angers and irritants. That’s where journalling comes in.

So journalling, what’s it all about? Keeping a journal is more than just a carbon copy of what you do in your day-to-day. It’s a place to share your heart: your dreams for the future; your hopes for tomorrow; stories of things gone before and stories of things to come; feelings and emotions; creative expressions; collections of quotes; and memories that encapsulate little moments in life.

Now I’ve begun to keep my own journals, both general lifestyle and travel, I thought I’d share 5 reasons that journalling is both inspiring and liberating.

1. A place to record your goals & dreams.

A journal is a place to store your infinite project ideas, your new year’s resolutions and all those creative ideas you have. You can come back to them at a later date and reflect on progress and the next steps to achieving your goals.

Don’t give up on a dream, write it down, reflect on it and wait until the time is right to pursue it.

2. A time-capsule of a distant memory.

Making note of the little things that make life beautiful in your journal creates a great resource for reflection. The little things that make you smile are worth writing down. At the end of your journal you can look back on the year and re-read all the little things that made that year great (and that you would have otherwise perhaps forgotten). It enables you to count your blessings (literally) and will make you smile for years to come.

The little things that make you smile are worth writing down.

3. A place to get creative.

A journal doesn’t just have to be pages of writing, you can include photos, tickets, clippings from magazines, inspirational quotes, letters from friends/ family… It can also be a space for your doodles or sketches, a place to experiment with watercolours or different art mediums and a place to let your creative juices flow. Using art in your journal can help you to express and convey your feelings. Photos, tickets and leaflets are perfect travel momentos to keep in a travel journal so you can’t forget what you got up to each day of your 4 month travelling stint!

Using art in your journal can help you to express and convey your feelings.

4. A way to relax.

Sometimes writing down all the things you are worried about can help you to sleep and relax. Venting to your journal often helps you to get your emotions out and identify the root of the problem you’re having. In a way it can be somewhat liberating. Journals can also pose as a stress-buster. I find that ‘To do’ lists help me to both prioritise my time but also let go of the associated stress until a task needs to be tackled.

Let the emotions flow. Getting your ideas down on paper can help you organise your thoughts.

5. An inspirational journey.

Looking back on your journal you can see how far you’ve come to be the person you are today. It’s a ready made autobiography detailing your transformations through life. You can look back on the goals you achieved, experiences you’ve shared and times you have enjoyed. You can see how you’ve grown and how those inspirational quotes/ Bible verses/ messages from friends you wrote down years ago came to shape your future.

Take a look back on your past and see how far you’ve come to achieving your goals.

So why not join me on my journalling adventure? I’d love to hear about how you like to journal and what you’ve enjoyed or found really encouraging from journalling. Leave a comment below!