By Grace Smith | Broadcast Reporter
Remember that old lock and key sparkly notebook you kept under your bed as a young teen, hoping no one would ever find it? That journal you went straight to after school if you had a bad day or if your crush talked to you. Your heart and soul was poured out into that little book. Well, it’s time to bring that diary back out.
OK, maybe not the sparkly lock and key one you used to have; get a new, more updated one. My point is, journaling isn’t just for young people who are going through puberty. It does so much more for you than what you might think. It is healthy for you — physically, emotionally and mentally.
There are many good things that come out of journaling. For starters, it reduces stress. All you need is a good 10 to 20 minutes each day dedicated to writing in your journal. It’s therapeutic, allowing you to get out all that anger or emotion you are feeling. If you write about a stressful situation, you can get all your feelings out on paper rather than somewhere you might regret later.
Journaling doesn’t have to be perfect, just write down whatever comes to mind and I promise you when you are done, you will feel more at ease. Make the most of it and it will make a difference in your life.
Writing stimulates the brain and allows our thoughts to expand. Our generation has made a problem out of digital communication. We need to go back to being that vulnerable teen who spills everything out in a diary.
Journaling is also a good way to keep yourself accountable. Write down your dreams and your goals, then look at them everyday. If you write it down, you can see it, then you can go out and do it. Journaling helps your mind have clarity, allowing you to prioritize the things you need to get done.
If you don’t believe me, then take it from Albert Einstein, the man who helped transform the world, indeed kept a diary. So many of our world’s greatest men kept a diary, like Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin. Men who forever changed the world would set aside a few minutes each day to write down whatever was on their minds.
Jim Rohn says, “If you’re serious about becoming a wealthy, powerful, sophisticated, healthy, influential, cultured, and unique individual, keep a journal.”
I urge you to pick up a pen, and for the next couple of mornings, just write down the things that come to your mind as well as your goals. It will make a difference in your everyday life. It’s time to dust off that old diary of yours and get to writing, my friends.
