The benefits of journaling can be life-changing. Though simple, journaling remains one of the most profound and oldest tools, man has always used for innumerable reasons.
For instance, in the aspect of self-growth and spiritual growth/maturity, journaling is a highly recommended top practice for everyone, especially the believer, regardless of whether you are good at writing or not.
In fact, it may interest you to know this: you do not necessarily have to be one bit good at writing to benefit from making journaling a habit.
The truth is, you can have very poor writing skills and still be able to journal effectively.
More so, you do not need to be bothered about stuff like getting your grammar, spelling, tenses, or punctuations correctly.
None of these details matter at all when it comes to journaling. What matters is simply the intention and attitude you are bringing to journaling.
Although it is true that journaling does not come naturally to everyone, however, its enormous benefits should make it attractive for everyone to delve into.
Perhaps you are still struggling to get motivated with the act of journaling; in this article.
I will be taking you on a walk into the world of journaling and educating you on how to begin journaling, and sharing 75 benefits of journaling in this article. But first, let us consider what journaling really is.
Table of Contents
What is Journaling?
Journaling is basically the act of keeping a personal record of your experiences, occurrences, and reflections on a regular basis.
This recording can either be in a notebook (hardcopy or on a mobile device), otherwise referred to as a journal.
For simplicity, I like to refer to it as the practice of writing down your feelings and thoughts mostly for the purposes of self-discovery, self-reflection, self-understanding, and future referencing.
Additionally, journaling is about exploring your own thoughts, feelings, hidden desires, and memories through written words.
It helps us with introspection and retrospection: examining who we are, what we think, how we feel, and how we process the daily occurrences and events in our lives.
The undeniable truth is that the more self-aware you are, the more grounded, well-adjusted, and balanced you will feel, despite the goings-on around you.
Therefore, journaling helps in so many ways. For example, it helps you find inner stability and imbues you with the ability to untangle yourself from self-destructive behaviors and negative thought patterns.
As a believer, journaling provides you with a great way to improve your faith. For instance, it makes personal Bible studies and meditation very exciting.
Furthermore, it may interest you to know that even the Bible recommends journaling.
Here is proof of this fact: Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.
3: For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it lingers, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. Habakkuk 2:2-3 (NIV).
Also Related: Praise and Worship: The 75 Awesome Benefits.
How to Start Journaling.
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Get a simple journal or notebook:
(this could be a note on a mobile device). You don’t need to be too picky; there are tons of journals and notebooks to select from.
Choose anyone that suits you. You can even decorate it however you like.
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Maintain your composure:
There is absolutely no reason to have anxiety over it when you journal. Only be completely honest in your thoughts, emotions, and the questions in your head.
Secondly, you do not need to hold back from God because He already knows your heart’s content.
He is not a man to care about your grammar, spelling, or punctuation mistakes. Just relax, gather your notes, and get ready to pen them down.
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Create a front page in your journal or notebook describing what you are doing:
Doing this will guide you with the purpose of keeping the journal.
It will also help anyone else reading it see a summary of the thought you were trying to convey and what you were aiming to accomplish through the journal.
Meanwhile, you should note that you do not necessarily have to share your journal with anyone. However, you may want to hand it down as a family heirloom in years to come.
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Feel free to scribble or draw:
Drawing or scribbling in your journal or notebook is equally essential for journaling. First, it can help you see emotions that might be difficult to deal with or communicate with words.
You may, therefore, start with the plan to write; while your emotions shift, you should do something else – like scribble or draw. When you what to journal, let the Holy Spirit stir your heart.
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Write down your thoughts:
Journaling is more about writing, so you can write anything that inspires you; your feelings, thoughts, events of the day, etc.
In the aspect of your faith, you can pin down what you have learned from the study of the Bible, your observation from your interactions with members of the body of Christ, etc.
You can also write down your favorite scriptures, songs, sermons, and so on. Remember that it is intended to help you grow your faith when it is a Christian journal.
In other words, you need to focus mainly on what inspires you spiritually and keeps your faith strong.
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Make your journal as visual as possible:
This is basically to make your journal attractive to you. Images, doodles, mind maps, etc., are all creative ways to make your journaling experience a delightful one.
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Study the Bible regularly and pen down what you learned:
When studying Scriptures, use your journal to note what you have read and what you make of them. For example, what scriptures inspired you the most while reading?
In what way are you motivated by the Bible verses you have studied today? Are there lessons you would like to share with someone to increase his faith?
How can you apply the verse or chapter you studied today? You can also write down some things you would like to share with God in prayer.
Additionally, you can add similar items to your journal, such as snippets, essays, notes, or whatever feels appropriate.
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Look for Scriptures that uplift your spirit:
Use your journal to align your efforts with encouragement when you are going through a challenge, experiencing a hard time, or even when working diligently to accomplish a goal.
Search for Bible verses that would uplift your spirit and also help you through the tough time. You can use these encouraging Bible verses as a start
- Isaiah 41:10 – So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (NIV)
- Psalm 34:4–5, 8 – I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! (NIV)
- Romans 8:28 – And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. (NIV)
- Joshua 1:9 – Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. (NIV)
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Memorize scriptures with the journal:
Write down the scriptures you want to memorize, then recite them several times. You can also decorate the pages beautifully so that you would want to spend more time on them.
Even the decorative effects will also become part of your memory, making it easier to remember the words.
75 Benefits of Journaling
- It helps you keep a record of your life’s journey
- Creates a record for posterity’s purpose
- Aids in meditation and prayer
- Enables you to keep a tangible record of God’s blessings
- Improves your emotional intelligence: your ability to perceive and understand emotions
- Helps you release your pain
- Soothes feelings of anxiety and increases calmness
- Helps you practice the act of writing and grow in it
- Creates room for other positive habits to be built
- Enables you to understand yourself better over time
- Enhances your mental health because you become a deep thinker with clearer thoughts
- Helps you deal better with depression
- Encourages spiritual growth and maturity
- Helps you build your faith
- Provides you with a means of unburdening your mind
- Helps you in making better decisions
- Makes the study of God’s word more exciting
- Increases your self-awareness, self-understanding, and self-love
- Improves your ability to communicate both verbally and non-verbally
- Helps you put some of your prayers into written words
- Provides you with an excellent place to record some insights gained in your personal study of Scripture
- Increases your happiness and level of creativity
- Helps you deal with intrusive thoughts and stress more effectively
- Improves your level of efficiency in all things
- Speeds up your emotional recovery in times like breakup
- Aids your emotional, mental, or physical healing
- Increases your focus and stability
- Helps you release pent-up anger and bottled up thoughts and emotions
- Assists you in letting go of the past
- Helps you disentangle both your thoughts and ideas
- Allows you to reflect on past events with a fresh perspective
- Helps you process your actions in an appropriate, honest, and non-judgmental way
- Strengthens your sense of self
- Helps you reminisce about past events
- Acts as your personal counselor
- Soothes your troubling thoughts and memories
- Increases your self-knowledge and self-confidence
- Enables you to feel better about yourself
- Aids you in identifying your values
- Reveals the depths of who you are
- Reveals your inner impulses
- Clarifies your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
- Shows how you think and use intuition
- Gives you a glimpse into your potential
- Enables you to observe and record your findings of yourself
- Provides you with an idea of your flaws that you need to work on
- Is your close, honest, non-judgmental, and perfect friend
- Helps you find more meaning in life
- Assists you in integrating life experiences and lessons from them
- Moves you towards wholeness and growth to who you are
- Helps you explore your spirituality
- Aids you in understanding what your needs and desires are
- Enhances your ability to express yourself
- Unleashes the writer in you
- Helps you explore your dreams and fantasies
- Helps you measure and keep track of what is important
- Equips you with new perspectives to make better decisions
- Can help you clarify issues in your life
- Gives you an avenue to listen to yourself
- Caters to both right and left-brained people
- Has no rules – typo errors, messiness, and poor writing are all excusable
- Is often self-motivating
- It improves self-trust
- Awakens your inner voice
- Directs your intention and ability to discern things
- Improves your level of sensitivity
- Enhances your memory of events
- It captures your life story, which might be helpful in the future
- You learn how to write stories
- Helps you capture both your personal and family stories
- Stimulates your personal and spiritual growth
- Offers you a deeper level of learning, order, action, and release
- Improves your problem-solving skills
- Helps you see yourself as an important, whole, and connected being, and
- Enables you to sift truth from error
As a byproduct of journaling, you gain better insight and clarity about your emotions and mind leading to heightened self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-love.
Interestingly, journaling remains an age-old, tried, tested, and trusted method that has been used and still is by many.
It is so powerful that it is usually one of the first self-help methods always prescribed by therapists and counselors.
Conclusion
It is more than evident that the benefits of journaling are innumerable. So as you delve into the practice of journaling today.
It is my prayer that some or all of these benefits of journaling will either spur you to begin keeping a journal or encourage you to continue in it.
