For someone like me who writes for a living, I very well know the perks of writing. Despite being paid for it, I feel writing is cathartic. Life is not what it was a couple of decades before. And on the go, we lost so many precious habits. One of them is writing a diary. Keeping a Journal has been a part of most people’s lives for centuries. It wasn’t something they clung to as a habit to record their lives. There is something to it that kept them stuck to it. What could it be? That I, even as a writer, didn’t know until recently.

What is fascinating about keeping a diary?

Diaries carry the very own essence of our life. It is a gateway to a person’s true self. But all these things are pretty common in journaling which everybody knows. What is unknown to us is its psychological benefits. Would you believe it if I told you that keeping a diary/journal helps you with anxiety, stress, or depression? No, right?! Yet it turns out to be true.

One of the best ways to deal with any problem is to express it in any way. Many people suggest that expressive writing can help in the reduction of stress and anxiety. Besides, there are a lot of other benefits journaling can offer. Here it is:

Perks of Keeping a Diary:

• A study suggests that writing a diary is a mechanism for coping with the need to adjust to hardships, freedom, and challenges.
• It acts as the best way to let out some of our intense emotions, such as anger & frustration, without harming anyone.
• It provides the opportunity to self-reflect and self-analyze ourselves.
• It aids in organizing thoughts and feelings.
• Over a period of writing, there will be a noticeable improvement in the clarity of thoughts. Also, it helps in enhancing your writing skills.

I still remember the days in my childhood when everyone presented each other with a diary as a gift for New year’s eve. It was a ritual. It was an inevitable part of our life back then. As digital devices took over the world, we slowly lost touch with keeping a diary.

Through writing, many people have found their voices. It showed them who they are and provided them with a chance to understand themselves better and make informed decisions in their life.

You don’t have to be a writer to write a diary!

There is a common misunderstanding among people that only those with writing skills can keep a diary. False! The ultimate aim of keeping a diary is to write for yourself. So, you don’t have to possess writing skills to do it. All it takes is the intent to pen down your thoughts on paper.

Many psychologists and counselors emphasize writing therapy to be more effective. If you need to know other benefits regarding writing therapy, get in touch with a psychologist. And with websites like Yelp, ThreeBestRated, and Yellowpages, reaching out to a professional has become very easy. If you get a chance to talk to them about this, they will also reiterate the same. So why wait? Start writing today!