On this rollercoaster we call life, keeping a journal can be a powerful form of self-expression, reflection, and self-exploration. Whether you’re feeling hopeful or sad, trying to find meaning and purpose, or just looking to capture memories, a journal will always offer a safe, non-judgmental space to share your thoughts.
The great thing about journaling is that there are no rules. You can write as much or as little and as frequently or infrequently as you’d like.
Here, we look closer at journaling and its benefits, and offer six tips to help you make journaling a life habit.
What is journaling?
Journaling is the practice of keeping a record of your thoughts, feelings, goals, and/or reflections. Writing in a notebook is the most popular way of journaling, but, more recently some people are choosing to keep audio or video journals instead.
Keeping a journal can be an effective way to reflect on daily life. It can give you a chance to explore what makes you happy or sad, hold onto experiences that you treasure, and work towards your goals. Journaling can also help you foster a healthy, meaningful connection with yourself, as it can allow you to explore who you are, and what you want and need in life.
One of the most beautiful things about journaling is that it’s raw and unedited. You don’t have to watch what you say, worry about spelling mistakes, or be anyone you don’t want to be – it’s for your eyes only.
What are the benefits of journaling?
Journaling can help improve mental health
Research shows that keeping a journal can help those with mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. This is because it allows people to take control of their emotions and begin to process them.
James Pennebaker, a lead researcher on expressive writing at the University of Texas, says, “Emotional upheavals touch every part of our lives…writing helps us to focus and organise the experience.”
Keeping a journal can also help us gain perspective, regulate emotions, and boost confidence, which can improve overall emotional wellbeing and happiness.
Journaling can help you achieve your goals
If you have specific goals or ambitions, keeping a journal can help you monitor your progress and work out what you still need to do.
When you reach your goal, it can also be rewarding to look back on your journey and reflect on how far you’ve come. This can help give you the courage and motivation to take steps towards future goals.
For help achieving your goals, check out our article: What are the benefits of goal setting tools?
Journaling can boost memory
Journaling can help keep the brain active and the mind sharp. When we write in a journal we engage with our surroundings and experiences deeply and meaningfully. This can boost memory, brain capacity, and the ability to process information.
Journaling can improve physical health
Perhaps surprisingly, research has found that as well as boosting mental health, journaling can improve physical health, too.
This study found that journaling can help wounds heal faster. 76% of adults who wrote down their feelings for 20 minutes a day, three days in a row, two weeks before a biopsy, were fully healed after 11 days – compared with 42% of a control group.
Other research has shown that journaling can help reduce symptoms for those with health conditions including asthma, arthritis, high blood pressure, liver and lung problems, and even cancer.
6 tips to help you make journaling a life habit
While making the decision to start journaling is often easy, it can be trickier to make it a habit.
With this in mind, here are six tips to help.
1. Decide what type of journaling appeals to you
Journaling should be something that fits easily into your daily life and doesn’t feel like a chore.
If you enjoy writing, a pen and a notebook or computer are all you really need to get started. Try to choose a notebook that inspires you*, as the look and feel of your journal can impact how motivated you feel to write in it. Many people prefer to have a smaller notebook that they can carry around with them and write in when the mood strikes them.
Others may prefer to record their thoughts and feelings on their smartphone or tablet. Apps like Voice Memos, Voice Record Pro, and 1 Second Everyday can be useful tools for this. Alternatively, you could use a video camera* or a dictaphone*.
2. Keep it as relaxed as possible
When we choose to try something new, we can sometimes get carried away and put pressure on ourselves to do as much of it as possible. But doing too much too soon can lead to us feeling burnt out, and make us more likely to give up.
So, to begin with, try recording the date and then writing or speaking just a couple of lines a day. If you feel that you naturally want to write more, go for it, but avoid putting pressure on yourself to write loads if you’re really not feeling it. You should also give yourself as much freedom as possible to write about whatever’s on your mind.
Entries can be on absolutely anything at all – for example…
- Something you’re grateful for that day (it doesn’t matter if it’s small)
- Thoughts and feelings about your day
- A list of things you’d like to achieve
- A poem or short story
- The weather, or anything else that you observe in your surroundings in the present moment
- Goals or wishes
- Your health
- A hobby or interest, such as art, travel, or food
- Dreams – some people find it helpful to write about their dreams as soon as they wake up, so they don’t forget them
Usually, the hardest part of keeping a journal is creating those first few entries. We lead such busy lives that stopping to take stock of how we feel and check in with ourselves can feel a little strange and unnatural.
But the more you do it, and the more you realise that there’s no right or wrong way to journal, the easier and more enjoyable it can become. Some days you might only feel like writing down a single word or a doodle – with journaling, anything goes.
3. Let go of perfectionism
When you start journaling, it can be tempting to try and make your journal perfect. You might feel afraid of not making sense, things looking messy, or spelling something wrong. But journaling is your chance to let go of perfectionism and produce something raw and real.
A useful tip is not to think too long, but just start writing. When something comes into your head, jot it down, no matter what it is.
Try not to focus on the final outcome of your journal entry, but rather have fun and enjoy expressing yourself in the moment. It can be incredibly liberating to have something to turn to that’s free from restrictions, expectations, or judgement.
For more tips, have a read of our article: The impact of perfectionism and 6 ways to overcome it.
4. Work out how to add journaling into your routine
If you’d like journaling to become a habit, it can help to try and attach it to part of your existing routine. For example, jot down a couple of lines while you drink your morning coffee, when you’re on the train, or in the bath. By slotting journaling into your existing routine, it won’t feel like something you have to make time for.
It can help to carry your journal with you wherever you go so that you’ll be able to write whenever you feel inspired. Some people also like to keep their journal on their bedside table so they can offload any feelings at the start and/or end of the day.
5. Try using journal prompts
If you’re feeling stuck with where to start, or just fancy having some fun, why not try using some writing prompts?
These could be anything from ‘What does your perfect day look like?’ to ‘Write a letter to someone you need to forgive’.
Take a look at these 64 journaling prompts for self-discovery from Psych Central for inspiration.
6. Don’t be afraid to write about uncomfortable topics
If you’re someone who often bottles up difficult emotions, a journal can be a great place to be honest and open with yourself about how you feel.
Emotions like grief and loneliness can be prolonged if you don’t stop to acknowledge and work through them. Often, it can be the toughest topics that are the most worthwhile to write about.
Perhaps one of the most famous examples is Anne Frank’s diary*. Anne started writing in her journal during the summer of 1942, at the age of 13. Everything she wrote was in letter format and addressed to a fictional character named Kitty.
Anne’s diary stayed with her as she went into hiding in a warehouse in Nazi-occupied Holland, and offered her a safe place to explore her hopes and fears. It gave her life purpose and meaning during an utterly terrifying time – in a world that had become alien to her.
Anne famously said, “I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.”
Final thoughts…
In today’s fast-paced and technological world, journaling can be a chance to reconnect with yourself and offload any emotions.
Sometimes we put our thoughts, desires, and feelings on the back burner while we give everything we have to our jobs or the people around us, but it’s important to come back to you every now and then to see how things are going – almost in the same way that you would visit a good friend.
A journal can become very precious in no time at all. It only takes a few memories, experiences, and very personal thoughts to make it utterly irreplaceable, and to help you start enjoying life’s journey more deeply every day.
For help getting started and more tips, why not sign up for the introduction to journaling which is running on Rest Less Events on 2nd April 2025?
“Documenting little details of your everyday life becomes a celebration of who you are.”
For further reading, head over to the healthy mind and writing sections of our website.
Do you keep a journal? Or are you thinking about starting one? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.