Journaling isn’t just for teenage girls – people from all walks of life are experiencing the benefits of journaling, and if you’re a woman of 50 or more, it can be particularly beneficial for your mindset, emotions, and life’s journey.
Powerful and successful people regularly keep journals.
A journal can record your life and serve as an emotional release.
A journal can serve as a record for your children.
It’s also a great way to back up your mature (and admittedly overstressed) memory!
If you’ve never considered keeping a journal, let the following informational points help you to reconsider.
Keeping a journal is simple:
- Decide on a format. Nearly any form of journal can be effective. A notebook, word processor, or dedicated journal can serve you well. Handwritten entries involve more emotion, and can create more of an impact on the writer. The effort of writing down the words on paper makes a difference. There’s a connection to handwriting that we just can’t get from typing on a keyboard.
- Stick to a schedule. Try to write something at least a few times each week. Ideally, you’ll be able to record your thoughts daily. You’ll find that the journaling habit is easier to create if you write each day.
- Keep it casual. You’re not writing a novel. You’re writing for yourself. You don’t even have to use complete sentences! Use a style that suits your wants and needs. Some days you’ll write more than others. There will be days without much to write about. Consistency is important to the value you’ll receive from a journaling practice,
Anyone can enjoy the benefits of a journal. Choose a format that you enjoy and start writing. Keep a regular schedule. You’ll be amazed by how much you write over the years if you just write a little each day.
A journal serves many purposes:
- A journal serves as both a record of your life and your progress. Failures are difficult to forget, but successes can be difficult to remember. When you’re frustrated with your progress, pull out your journal and review all the successes you’ve had in the past.
- As we get older, the details of the past can start to become a little fuzzy. A journal is a tangible way to record your life and keep the details available. Your children might enjoy reading it someday, too, if you choose to make it available to them.
- A journal can reveal the truth. Things seem a little different on paper than they do in your head. Putting your thoughts to paper can reveal things you never considered. A journal can provide more and deeper insight than your thoughts alone.
- A journal can hold you accountable. Fleeting thoughts and ideas are easy to ignore, but a written record is more compelling. You’ll find that you’re more conscientious and hold yourself more accountable when you keep a journal.
- A journal is the perfect place to record and track your goals. Goals require regular attention. The biggest challenge with achieving goals is forgetting about them after the initial excitement has worn off.
- Make a short entry in your journal each day regarding your goals, tracking the effort you’ve put toward achieving them, the challenges you’ve overcome, and what you’ve learned.
- A journal is great for your health. Numerous studies have shown that 15-20 minutes of writing, done a few times each week, reduces stress. Write about your thoughts and concerns, your dreams and your achievements. You’ll feel better and enjoy your life more.
- Keeping a journal puts you in good company. Many of the most successful people in history have kept journals. A journal can encourage you to live a life worth recording. After writing the same thing for a few days, you’ll be inspired to get out of your comfort zone and make something interesting happen!
Who knew that a few minutes of writing could accomplish so much? A journal is a quick, easy, and inexpensive way to enhance your life in numerous ways.
There are numerous mental and physical health benefits to be found in starting and being consistent with a personal journaling practice. Why not get started today?
