Dixya Poudel

In an age of megapixel photos and precisely written captions, the age old art of journaling sees a call for resurgence. Scholars have always praised the positive influence of writing down thoughts to paper. And most writers have started their journey through poems scribbled on paper or their thoughts jotted down on ink. As such, journaling is a kind of informal writing that is considered to be therapeutic and liberating. When carried out regularly in notebooks or “journals”, journaling serves creative as well as personal purposes. It can be used to record daily events, practice gratitude, problem solve, brainstorm, make to-do lists or confront stressful events.
I think most teenagers have had a journal through their teen years. Those who persevere and keep writing on journals are able to bolster themselves from the adversities of lives.

And keeping a diary or a journal isn’t just for tween or teen angst, adults benefit even greatly from journaling. It helps to get perspective, gain reins over emotions and foster mental health. When we regularly pour thoughts to paper, it helps to prioritise problems and concerns. It also allows us to recognise triggers and learn methods to gain mastery over them. Further, it provides a platform for positive self-talk and helps identify negative self-talk, anxieties and behaviours.

Psychologists suggest journaling to alleviate stress and mental health problems. This is an era of digital advancement where we can share and post thoughts in the vastness of the internet. Journaling on the other hand is a more private and personal creation. It is as close as we can get to our innermost thoughts, feelings and emotions. Journaling can help identify patterns of self-destructive behaviours and thoughts through the simple act of confessing on ink and paper. It doesn’t require grand words. It only requires that we journal routinely through the highs and lows of our lives.

Further, we write in journals not to impress anyone and we certainly don’t journal for attention from others. Instead, journal writing is a form of self-care that encourages us to express emotions through free flown ideas and words. There is no particular structure to journaling. Each one of us can use our own methods and in doing so benefit from journaling’s many liberating results.

One of the important advantages of journaling is that one can reflect on inner growth. If we are to go through our diaries from our past, we can realise how far we have come. And it isn’t necessary to write pages. Simple snippets of poems or lingering thoughts can be jotted down on paper to keep track of inner self-talk. How is your outlook and stance in general? Are anxieties, stress, fears and depression manifesting on your life? Are you fostering positive attitude or wallowing in negativity? Throughout our mundane routines, we can get engulfed by minor problems and lose perspective at large? Especially the current times call for an optimistic point of view in life as the world has descended to chaos.

It is understandable that journal can be daunting at first. All those thoughts swirling through our heads might not always make sense when written down. But perseverance is the key. Each day that we journal, we take a step to know ourselves. And self-awareness is an irrefutable part of human existence.