4 Reasons Journalling is the Backbone to my Life

I’m driving home from work on a Thursday evening. It’s raining heavily, and I feel like shit.

It’s been a terrible day. I had an explosive argument with a good friend, and now my mind is revisiting every word of our fight. I arrive home and try to meditate, but to no avail.

The next day, I arise early for my morning meditation. I notice that I’m itching to journal on the previous day’s events, so I put on my noise-cancelling headphones, face the rising sun, make my long espresso, and start writing.

I pour out my heart and express every thought and emotion that passed through me in the past 24 hours. I write fearlessly and vulnerably, knowing full well that no one will ever read my journal.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it. Journalling has been my greatest saviour—the best of all the tools cultivated in my endless journey of self-discovery. Time and time again, recording my thoughts, fears and dreams has had a remarkable effect on my growth.

It has become the habit that holds all my personal development together.

For the past seven years, I’ve journalled at 6 a.m. for 30 minutes in a black Moleskine soft-cover notebook. Sometimes I write five pages, and others (especially when travelling) I miss a day or two. But I can’t recall a month that has passed that I haven’t completed 90% of my journaling days.

Stephen King famously said, “Writing is refined thinking.” That’s exactly how I feel after journalling. Everything just becomes more obvious to me.

Why is journalling a must? For me, it breaks down into the following four reasons:

Self-awareness

In my journalling practice, I dump everything and anything that comes to mind in a stream of consciousness manner. I look at why, for instance, my true self didn’t show up in a particular situation. This process has a cathartic effect on me, and I find that I manage to tackle issues that have become urgent in my subconscious mind and are bubbling to the surface.

I hardly ever go back and read my journals; once written, they are gone and assimilated.

However, as soon as I’m done writing, all the negative thoughts swimming in my mind grind to a halt. I start to see more clearly. I become the observer, regarding my thoughts, actions and words objectively.

Through journalling, I’ve grown to become my own therapist.

Journalling on the events of that Thursday, I wrote:

“Maybe the logic of what I said was right, but the way I said it was not only insulting, but I also put him in a corner. I should’ve said it in a much more compassionate way. Just imagine my reaction if someone had said those patronising words to me. I would’ve gone ballistic.”

Immediately after journalling about the incident, I sent an apologetic email to my friend, and we are back on good terms.

Mindfulness

In regularly recording my sensory experience—what I see, hear, taste, and feel—I’ve become more aware of the world I live in and how I interact with it. More than being present, I’ve become a poet of my senses.

Since I started recording my felt experiences in this way, my walks and general outlook on the world have become deeper and richer. The other day, I wrote about what I saw when I went for a short walk:

“Luca D’Alberto’s soft neoclassical tunes whisper in my ears. Piano keys interweave with violin pizzicatos in an orchestral crescendo. The wide array of trees swaying, dancing, to the beat of the lovely breeze. The sun is nonchalantly peering in and out amongst the many clouds that pepper the blue skyline. The wind picks up, playing havoc with my hairless head. The trees now veer dangerously to the ground below. My Panama hat takes off like a seagull leaping into flight. But my mind. It’s gone. Lost in the ambiguity of time. Lost in the boundlessness of space.”

Gratitude & Appreciation

Most of us spend our lives running on empty. We don’t count our blessings, taking for granted much of what life has offered us. I’m not a Buddhist monk. I find it difficult to focus on being grateful while also immersed in whatever I’m doing. However, in my journal the next day, I often find myself writing down three to five reasons that I’m thankful.

This is just one example of my regular notes on gratitude:

“I’m grateful for having a wonderful dinner with loving friends at my favourite Japanese restaurant. I loved how the conversation flowed.

I’m thankful for having “John” help me at work. He’s become not only my sounding board, but also a reliable problem solver.

I’m grateful for the glut of emails I’ve received after posting my blog post on identity. It really was heartwarming to see how many people not only enjoyed the article, but also felt inspired to examine their own concept of identity.”

Aspirational

In our fast and furious world, it’s easy to lose sight of what truly matters to us—the big goals to match our vision. I’m a curious person, and I find myself easily sidetracked by new ideas and adventures. Writing out my vision on a daily basis grounds me in what matters most.

I first write out my vision in full for the three to five years ahead. Then, I write out the roadmap of goals I’ve set for my vision, which leads into what I will focus on for that particular day. I do this every day, and it’s my favourite part of journalling, as it leaves me feeling exhilarated and hopeful. Now I can’t wait to start my day.

Part of one entry about my vision (written soon after my double-leg break at the end of 2017) reads:

“I’m strong, fit and healthy. I will walk again. I will get back to my running and will become a Pilates expert.”

My goals included: to continue my physiotherapy sessions twice a week, to swim for 30 minutes three times a week, and to exercise on a stationary bike with some upper body routines for two days a week. On that day, my focus was on swimming. So I wrote that down and set an intention, effectively signalling my mind to ensure that I swam.

Journalling is often misrepresented as the sole domain of that socially awkward kid who turned to their diary in the absence of friends.

However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Journalling with purpose is one of the best ways to become self-aware, mindful, grateful and hopeful. Many visionaries have utilized this technique, including Mark Twain, George W. Patton, Beethoven, John D. Rockefeller, Issac Newton and Leonardo Da Vinci, to name but a few.

So what are you waiting for? Grab a journal today and start writing away.