I don’t know about you, but I have had a checkered journaling history.  

I did have that cute Peter Rabbit hard backed journal complete with the lock and key when I was in elementary school.  Then my 8^th grade English teacher had us write in a journal every day in class.  But she read it! From then on, I would write on and off, but enough over my many decades that I have a decent-sized box of old journals in the basement.  

I have often thought while journaling that it was futile and all I was doing was whining and chronicling my days.  I was not convinced of the usefulness of it.  But lately, I have read many books and articles about the health benefits of journaling, not even just mental health benefits. 

Journaling brings you closer to yourself.  

You are safe and free to write however you want.  You can complain about loved ones without believing what you say or having anyone judge you for saying it.  You can spill out all the emotion that you are keeping inside to look “put together” on the outside.  You can release toxic thoughts and feelings without hurting anyone.  

Writing it out in a journal can help you grow, become more self-aware and gain meaningful insights.

There are reasons that journaling is good for you, some of which have been verified in scientific studies.       

1. Improves mental health
2. Strengthens the immune system and can help speed up healing. 
3. Helps you work through challenges
4. Helps you set and accomplish goals
5. A way to express gratitude
6. Helps cultivate mindfulness

I have recently adopted the behavior encouraged by Julia Cameron in “The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity.”  In it, she encourages you to write “morning pages.”  She encourages you to write three pages of stream of consciousness every morning upon awakening.  

There is no wrong way to do morning pages.  

They are not supposed to sound smart.  They are not art.  They are meant to clear the way for art, thought, and purpose.  Sure, interesting things may come up in the pages, but that is not the purpose of them. No one else should read them, and she even discourages you from going back and reading them (at least not initially).  Her thought is that sometimes trivial and negative thoughts muddies up our ideas and hinder the natural flow of creativity.  If we sit and empty it all out in the morning, we provide ourselves with a fresh canvas to start the day.  I really like the idea of that.  I will admit that I am not always good at getting it done first thing in the morning.  I am practicing that, but I do appreciate the ability to get it out, to sometimes say things that I would not say out loud because I don’t necessarily believe it or don’t want to hurt anyone but keeps weaseling its way into my thought process.  I do think that it helps to clear the way for more fruitful thoughts and ideas.