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My first experience with journaling was in first grade.

Our teacher made us keep a journal each day as a way to practice our writing skills. Not that we understood it that way at the time–it was just another assignment that no one particularly wanted to do. I’ve no idea if that journal survived through all these years–I imagine it’s probably buried in some box at my parents’ house.

Regardless, that was my first introduction to journaling, and it was hardly an inspiring one. I didn’t pick up the habit again until a few months ago, when I realized that if I was going to study abroad, I ought to do something to document all my new experiences. And so I picked up a blank, orange journal, and I began filling it up.

With a few exceptions, I’ve written a daily entry for the past three months, and I can’t recommend the habit enough.

In today’s post, I’ll share the benefits of keeping a journal, how to overcome your reservations about keeping one, and how to make journaling into a habit.

Benefits of Journaling

“The habit of writing thus for my own eye only is good practice. It loosens the ligaments. Never mind the misses and the stumbles.” – Virginia Woolf

Why bother keeping a journal at all? Here are a few reasons:

Journaling allows you to reflect. With social media and blogging platforms, we’ve no shortage of opportunities to share our feelings. But how often do we pause to reflect on them? A journal is a place where you can not only record your thoughts, feelings, and experiences, but also attempt to make sense of them. It’s like free therapy.

With social media and blogging platforms, we’ve no shortage of opportunities to share our feelings. But how often do we pause to on them? A journal is a place where you can not only record your thoughts, feelings, and experiences, but also attempt to It’s like free therapy. Journaling is a chance to practice writing. Ever wanted to start a blog? If you’re not ready to start posting your writing for all the world to see, journaling can be a stepping stone, a chance to practice writing regularly in a no-pressure environment.

Ever wanted to start a blog? If you’re not ready to start posting your writing for all the world to see, journaling can be a stepping stone, a chance to practice writing regularly in a Journaling provides something to look back on later in life. Just think how cool it will be to look back on your journal five, ten, twenty-five, even fifty years from now. Sure, your life may not be interesting enough to be the subject of a film (although you never know!), but it will provide insight into how your mind changes over time.

Just think how cool it will be to look back on your journal five, ten, twenty-five, even fifty years from now. Sure, your life may not be interesting enough to be the subject of a film (although you never know!), but it will provide insight into Journaling is a safe place to express your feelings. We all have that friend on Facebook who feels the need to vent about everything wrong with their life and the world. Instead of putting that stuff on the Internet, they could have just written it in their journal, providing the same catharsis without having to involve a bunch of acquaintances who would rather not know.

And these are just a few reasons off the top of my head. Don’t take my word for it. Keeping a journal will put you in the company of such historical/literary luminaries as:

Don’t let these writers intimidate you. Let them instead be an inspiration–none of them had any idea that people would care to read their private thoughts all these years later.

Reasons Excuses for Not Keeping a Journal

“In the journal I do not just express myself more openly than I could do to any person; I create myself.” – Susan Sontag

Maybe you want to start keeping a journal, but something’s holding you back.

Here are a few common reasons for not keeping a journal…and how to overcome them: