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There it was. A continuous cycle of wanting to better myself and reflect on my life, but having a hard time getting myself to do it or knowing how to. After much thought, I decided that writing down my thoughts and feelings on paper could do the trick to learn more about myself and the ways that I can improve. Then, I made a necessary change in my daily routine to spend some time taking care of myself. This has improved my life in so many ways and is one of the best decisions I have ever made! I am here to tell you that you should make the lifestyle change of writing in your own journal every day as well. Some reasons to get you thinking about writing in a journal include it helps you capture your thoughts, learn and reflect on yourself, and has valuable health benefits.

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Capture Moments and Important Ideas Instantaneously

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Capture Moments and Important Ideas Instantaneously

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Writing in a journal every day helps one capture the important and spontaneous thoughts that you have and want to remember. In the past, something would come up that I would want to remember for later on in my life. I was so confident in my ability to remember it that I would not write it down. However, I always ended up forgetting what I wanted to remember. With a journal, I did not have this problem anymore. Journals are a safe place where you can write your deepest thoughts and ideas. Also, writing about your life or what happened that day can help you gain clarity on conflicting feelings or help you solve problems. I carry two journals around with me each day. One journal tracks my progress and goals relating to my sport, track and field. The other journal focuses on my everyday life, featuring what I find inspirational and motivational throughout the day. Both of these journals have helped put my life into perspective and I have learned a lot about who I am as a person and where I want to be.

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This is the journal where I write about running and what I am going through. In this journal, I include my thoughts on the day, progress, inspirational quotes and motivational statements, goals, and other valuable information.

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This is my everyday journal where I write about what happened that day and what I learned about myself. I also include what is important or meaningful to me.

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I find myself trying to reflect on the decisions I have made or what happened to me during that day. Journaling is a perfect platform for me to reflect on myself and learn more about who I am! What better place to learn more about yourself than an independent and free space with just you and a pen? You can write anything and everything you want to in your personal and private journal. There is no one to judge you. This writing then allows for you to really see yourself and what is important to you when it comes to what you choose to write about, straight from your mind. What does your writing show about you? Has your writing lead you to any realizations? Sometimes when you are in the process of writing you get a feeling of relaxation and comfort where writing is all you are focusing on. Through this writing, the values and what you hold important to you is highlighted.

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Another way to approach this journal is to write down your goals and dreams for the future. Physically writing these down often gives you more of a purpose and drive to accomplish them. Then, journals can serve as a way to keep track of your growth and progress towards your goals. One can also use journaling as an action to plan for the future and keep organized.

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Journaling also has numerous health benefits for the writer. According to Philip Ullrich and Susan Lutgendorf, “Writing about personally experienced stressors or traumatic events has been associated with improvements in mental and physical health in numerous investigations. For example, writing about stressful or traumatic events has been related to decreased distress and depression, and fewer illness-related visits to physicians, and positive changes in immune function” (p. 224). This is a wonderful way for you to recover from stressful events and improve your mental and physical health.

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Now I know what you must be thinking, that it is too time consuming to process my thoughts and then write them down in a journal, especially every day. However, I am here to tell you that you can spend as much time as you feel you need or want to on journal writing. You do not have to spend the same amount of time on every entry. Trust me, I would know. I used to view journal writing as an unnecessary action taking up time in my day. However, once I started writing in a journal, I broke the unfulfilling cycle I felt stuck in. I realized the value of writing in a journal and how all of the time journal writing requires to be worthwhile. I get to decide how long I want to write in it, and the process of writing is something that I look forward to in my day. Journaling is very meaningful and a quality use of my time. Writing my thoughts, reflections, and plans in a journal also saves me time in the future, especially when I am trying to remember an idea or how I was feeling one day. I am able to look back on all of my entries as reference points in times of need, or to assist in solving problems I am currently facing.

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With the advancement and popularity of technology in today’s society, many people do not interact with paper and pencil as much, or it does not catch someone’s interests right off the bat. You may be thinking to yourself, “I never write on paper. I am always on my computer or phone.” This is a valid point. However, journaling can take place on any platform or representation that you can think of! You can be creative with it! Journaling does not have to be on a hard copy piece of paper. One can reflect upon their life and continue their journal writing online, through notes on their phone, a word document on their computer, or even start a blog. There is a variety of different ways on how and where to journal. How you choose to do it does not matter as much as what you choose to write about and reflect upon.

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Journaling is way to celebrate your life!

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Journaling is way to celebrate your life!

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There are so many different reasons why you should start writing in a journal every day. To name a few, it is a place to record your thoughts, can lead to self reflection and realization, and it has health benefits! Why not start your journal writing now? As Carolyn Hamilton states, “Documenting little details of your everyday life becomes a celebration of who you are.” I believe we all need to discover who we are and celebrate our individuality, and journaling and all of the benefits that it brings into your life is just the way to do that!