When I was in first grade, my dad gifted me a diary. He had read in a magazine that there are multiple benefits of journaling so he encouraged me to write about my experiences and emotions every day.
I cherished my diary and held myself accountable to write in it daily. Many of my entries entail memories I had long forgotten and people I have not spoken to in years. I am thankful for my diary because it describes incidents and encounters that I do not remember. Unfortunately, by the time I was in third grade, I fell out of the habit of journaling.
After high school, I started experiencing difficult emotions that I never faced in the past, and I started journaling again to regulate these feelings. I observed five outcomes that the research supports.
1. Journaling Positively influences your mental health
If left unchecked, hate, anger, jealousy or sadness can dominate your thoughts, increase stress levels and give rise to anxiety and depression. Journaling can provide an outlet to express negative emotions. Writing in my diary every night can also help me understand where my negative thoughts stem from and allow me to brainstorm steps I can take to control these thoughts.
A study of forty people who were diagnosed with depression found that continuously writing about their intimate thoughts and feelings lessened depressive symptoms and anxiety after one month.
2. Journaling Improves Physical Health
In addition to your mental state, daily journaling can improve your physical state. According to a study published by Cambridge University, those who wrote in their diary for 20 minutes per day attended fewer stress-related visits to the doctor, experienced a boost in their immune system, enhanced their lung and liver functions and reduced their blood pressure levels.
This is partly because mental and physical health are connected. Because journaling can lower your stress levels, it can decrease your risk of stress-related health problems. I have noticed that my sleep quality has improved since I have begun to write in my diary. This benefit has been noted by other researchers.
3. journaling can foster gratitude
Journaling about positive experiences and interactions brightens even the darkest days. Even if I do not have time to complete a lengthy entry, I dedicate a minute or two to list aspects of my day that I am thankful for. The National Library of Medicine reports a study of 70 adults with medical conditions and anxiety. The adults found that writing about meaningful events and practicing gratitude for 12 weeks increased well-being and reduced distress.
Even actress and activist Emma Watson incorporates a prompt in her diary where she appreciates the day before.
“I write three things from the day before that were fun or joyful, three things that happened that were kind . . . and then I write three things down that I thought I did well from the day before,” Watson says. “Doing this is really important.”
4. journaling helps with fulfilling goals
You can use your diary to write down goals that you want to achieve, and you can track your progress. I love to hold myself accountable for developing new habits by listing the steps I am going to follow to establish those habits.
The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences recommends writing “SMART” goals in your diary. You want to craft goals that are “specific” (clearly articulated), “measurable” (with benchmarks), “achievable” (you should be capable of fulfilling your goal), “relevant” (your goal should benefit you) and “time-bound” (set a specified amount of time that you want to complete your goal in). All of those terms spell “SMART”.
5. Journaling can raise your grades
Surprisingly, taking the time to write down your reflection can enhance your performance at school.
A diary can strengthen your working memory, improve verbal and written communication (my English essays have become more detailed and expressive) and develop critical thinking skills. The Journal of Nursing Education references a study that finds that reflective writing can develop critical thinking, decision making and critical reflection for students and faculty. Overall, students who journal frequently tend to have a high grade point average.
Interested in keeping a diary but not sure where to start?
There are different ways you can journal. You don’t even need to keep a physical diary; I know people who type their thoughts on a laptop. Sometimes I describe the topics in my mind. Other times, I follow specific prompts. I love to find and answer thought-provoking journal prompts from Pinterest, but this article is also a great starting point. It provides a variety of categorized prompts. This blog provides many prompts as well.
If you want more visual entries, draw or attach photographs. But if you prefer a diary that strictly guides your reflection and only consumes a couple of minutes of your time, consider purchasing a 5-minute journal ($28.99). The guided prompts aim to boost your positivity, and the 5-minute journal is used by Emma Watson, Lily Collins and Tim Ferriss.
Regardless of how, develop a ritual where you reflect on life events and emotions. I’m glad I did.