Does journaling really help?

Yes definitely. Firstly, when you are too much in your head trying to organise thoughts, they do not always turn out beneficial. However, when you write the thoughts down, there is an organization and selection. This promotes betterment. And you can look back and see patterns or where you have improved, or need improving. It’s therapeutic.

It does if you let it work for you. I wouldn't go on the internet and try to copy what everyone else is doing. Figure out what you need to write down to help you become more productive / mindful and start there.

For example, I only use my journal to write down angry thoughts which helps me relax at the end of the day. To do lists, habit tracking and daily journaling was difficult for me and made me hate writing anything at all. But writing when I'm angry helped me a lot.

Start simple and use your journal for what's best for you. It could be affirmations, sketching, practicing creative writing, whatever. Just don't try to do everything at once 🙂

Yes and no, yes because it's a great way to see how your mood changes throughout the day, and perhaps see what you could do to change any negative patterns, but it can be hard to keep up with and takes a level of commitment that some people; myself included, may find difficult to keep up with.

I think it does help. It helps me to get me thoughts out. Once recorded, they don’t need to take space in my head. Even if my thoughts don’t reach conclusions, focusing on one thought and following it through is somewhat therapeutic.

Help with what? It helps me focus on gratitude for the things that happen each day that were noteworthy, either because they were great or because I survived. It shows me how much love and luck and sweetness and beauty surrounds me. It reminds me to go looking for those things, because they are always there.

Yes! Journaling is the best time for reflection, which is why I do so twice (mostly thrice) a day. Once in the morning, at night, and after I meditate (this is the one I don’t necessarily do daily). I like waking up to journal, because it allows whatever flowing through my head in the morning out onto the pages, mostly to rationalize dreams especially if they weren’t the best. It helps me get rid of negative thoughts and start my day off on a positive note. I like to end my day with journaling, so I can reflect on my day and pick out the moments (whether on paper or not) that made my day the way it was. Especially for bad days, it helps pick out the smaller moments that show my day wasn’t as bad as I thought (small improvement, not necessarily drastic). Lastly, I journal after meditation often to reflect on my experience, on what I was thinking before/during/after my session, and just anything else that comes to mind. Lately I’ve been trying new forms of meditation, so it’s helpful to reflect on each one and note the special things about them.

Writing your thoughts helps to reveal somethings that are more subconscious than what we are consciously aware of. Seeing written ideas awakens our brain in a different way than just thinking it. Things become more concrete for us once they are recorded in ink.

For me, journaling can be a short summary of the day at times, but at others, it becomes an important look into myself and what I am really feeling and coping with. Or a celebration of things I know I’ll want to look back on one day- made possible by the journal itself! It’s a record worth keeping, whether or not every day is a “blow me away” type of day. And those days do come, without a doubt.

Yes I like the journaling it makes me focus on the day ahead and think about what I want to achieve and then at the end of the day what I have acheived

I believe so.
It gets things started and you begin to start to do things on your own, soon enough everything is natural and you’re living your best life.

It all depends on why you're doing it and when. I think having space to allow your thoughts to flow without any judgement is critical. Sometimes my journal pages only have the date and a few words. Don't put too much pressure on one day. Sometimes you may not need the space.

Personally, it helps with some things and not for others, but it I were you I would get the app reflectly which is a journaling app you could use every night to help you, or write in a journal every night for a few nights and if it doesn’t work at first try it when something hard is going on.

Journalling definitely helps. It make you take a hard look at your life. Force you to answer all those hard hitting questions. It makes you aware of aspects that need improvement and helps you analyze your problems from a different angle.

For me yes, I find if I keep a journal I write down things that are bothering me and I stop thinking about them so much afterwards, I feel like I have a clearer head, it literally feels like a weight off your mind.

At first, you may feel annoyed with having to maybe write about our "hear" yourself talk and that might be prevalent in the first few days, but after some time, it actually becomes something very beautiful. I've been writing for years so the journaling never bothered me, it was just a matter of consistency. But I realize the consistency has had me feel accountable for the things I think about and how I feel about them. It helps a ton.

Not sure what you need help with in particular but there's definitely research that suggests physically journaling thoughts, feelings, and planning help the brain in a variety of ways.

Journaling helps me a lot: focusing on positives, considering real goals I have to do becouse it’s importance. I am with my emotions during this moment.

It totally does! Journaling is one of the best of only a few ways to see what is going on in your unconscious mind. Once you know, you can more effectively work with and change your unconscious attitudes and behavior.

Yes good for the short term unloading archiving our days. I have keep journals for 40 years and saved them. Good to read from my 20's' 30'd and beyond. Also improved my 0ld school handwriting. Today is more complex of feels to me and I am still very busy at 71. I've found I need down time like writing

Nothing helps better. Nothing has helped me better. It's that thing you see at the end of the day, you see how closer you are getting towards your goal. Small steps you can see.

I’m also thinking about starting to journal. I believe it could be a nice habit to have to track the appreciation you have towards others, what makes you happy, and implement so in your life more often.

Yes! Journaling and reflecting about what’s bothering you can help you get to know yourself really well. There’s a reason why actors do it almost religiously!

Yes. If nothing else, provides reflection of my future self on what I was feeling then and what has changed about my feelings over the course of time. Usually I provided some insight and clarity into whatever obstacles I’m facing or people I should reach out to that can support me or provide guidance though tough situations.

Yes, journaling really does help you process your life. A lot of the time, we go about our days distracted, running from one thing or another. Even if we aren’t busy, we keep ourselves distracted with tasks here and there that keep us from truly processing our thoughts, feelings, goals, desires, hopes, fears, and so on. Reflecting on a day to day basis, or whatever schedule best suits your life really helps you stay grounded. Seeing intangible thoughts, emotions, and so on on written out helps us process and make conclusions on these things because try as we might, we cannot solve or understand everything inside our brains or even talking to others or talking to yourself out loud.

Journaling helps release things you want to say to someone in another form , or maybe just to write down things just to let it go.

I think so. It's so nice to go back and re read what made that day great. Now that I have my daughter it's also important for me to write about what she did that day. I hope she will read it in the future and smile.

I've just started doing it about a month ago, and I find it really helpful, even just to do a quick check-in on my mental health once a day. Writing down how you're feeling really makes you aware of it, and that's been very good for me.

Y e s. Talking to yourself is the most important conversation to have at least once a day. There is magic in writing down your own words.

It does. A lot!
Cause when you do it you have the chance to revisit moments (good ones) and feel blessed for them. That good feeling then fills you up with gratitude (a pure kind of gratitude) and elevates you to a new level of consciousness. Journaling promotes awareness and that's the kind of growth people desire.

Yes, I does help me specially when I concentrate on the feeling I felt for specific situation and how did I react. I try to listen to my body and soul

Yes. It helps me look at my day or thoughts under different perspectives.
It is a moment to reflect on the motive behind my actions, on my true feelings and what lies behind them.

i have found that journaling really does help. it’s a way for me to recollect and organize my thoughts in the same place. i really enjoy journaling and i would recommend for anyone who is looking for solace

In retrospective, yes. It helps you get a visual representation of your habits and can be used to revisit your life. You might discover that some problems you had are gone now.

Journaling helped me realize just how many of my thoughts from one day were repeated from the days before. Continuing the practice after that slowly helped me come up with new ideas faster.

Yes. Writing it down starts the transition from thoughts to action. I once read a goal without a plan is just a wish. Journaling is the first step towards the plan.

Yes it helps me practice gratitude, reflection on points for improvement as well as increase my productivity. For me Best Self Journals are the best journals!!!

Yes it really does help you reflect on your day as well as process some of the more difficult stuff one has to face now and then. I love to go back to reading bits and pieces and see how far I have come.

Yes I’ve been journaling for years and one of the biggest positives for me is going back and reviewing my previous goals good ideas and successes lessons learned from the perspective of the future me. Kind of like that saying people don’t learn from their mistakes Are doomed to repeat them. Journaling is a good way to know yourself.

It helps me find my calm, process my thoughts, learn my life lessons, release emotions, reduce distraction through the day, determine goals. I find it quite helpful in many ways. It’s basically a clearer way to think. Thinking only in my head gets very messy. It just goes in circles most of the time. But thinking on paper creates progress.

Absolutely, as someone who has written for decades on and off, I have gained much insight into myself when I have reread my content.

I firmly believe in the power of “writing your story/creating your narrative.”

I look for my personal patterns, trends, themes and motifs in my words and then when I encounter them in daily life, I am like, “Oh yeah, I recognize you, what further do I have to learn about this, I wonder?”

This in turn gives my life deeper meaning, helps with flow and encourages synchronicity which is crucially important to me.

It has seemed to help me a lot. I really enjoy the guided journals, so I’m not totally stuck with thinking about what to say. Sometimes it’s cathartic to just write freestyle and get everything off my chest.

Yesss, it does help but you shouldn’t do it just because people say it helps, do it and enjoy it make sure it is fun for you. I journal everyday and I write my to do list or I write a quote or draw and it makes me happier for me it’s fun, however if you can stay organized without journaling and if you don’t enjoy doing it thenI guess it depends on the person

Yes. Once things are displayed in frin of my eyes I can think about them more clearly than I would, had it been a simple abstract,passing thought in my mind. Once you Journal you become and active participant of the process.

It depends on your intention.
If you decide journaling will help you, then it will.
I have several journaling methods, I don't use any one way to get my thoughts down.
One of the methods is to have an outcome in mind.
Find your way-through journaling-to your outcome.
Don't hold yourself back.
Hope this helps.

I have never been one to journal but did recently start. It is helped tremendously in that I can get out my thoughts and they’re not constantly running around my head anymore. It also has helped come up with some solutions I would not have otherwise been able to have seen by pausing after I’ve written something.

It depends on a lot of things! While it gives you a good chance to reflect on paper, some people might find that it’s hard to write how they feel and they’d rather reflect by talking to somebody, or drawing, etc. I think, at least, it can be good to give journaling a shot so that you can untangle the messy knots of thoughts and worries and anxieties by putting everything on paper and dissecting it later. Things always don’t look too bad on paper!

Yes it helps tremendously! I have 3 journals that all serve a different purpose that I use to track my growth in different areas of my life. There are always thoughts flowing in and out of my head and it’s been a great practice to get them out at the end of the day. I’m a lot more prepared to go to bed with those thoughts out on paper.

I think it depends more what you journal about. It does help to put your thoughts on the page and then take a look at what you just wrote. If you write it and forget it- doesn’t help. But if you take a good look at it, analyze if it is factually true, not just an emotional rant, and try to edit it to a more rational version it does help. Sometimes it looks ridiculous and you need to be sympathetic that is what you felt and still find another positive and action oriented version. Don’t just dwel on the negative, shape what you can do to make it right.

Yes it does… for me it gives me an opportunity to organize and release my thoughts and feelings. It's one of the most beneficial ways of release that brings me joy.

I think it helps me to reflect on my days and then make a plan to complete goals. I also journal my food to help me keep my weight in check.

Absolutely. I try to write every day, even if I don't think I have anything to write. some days literally start out like small talk of unimportant details and then something that is bothering me will bubble up or I'll get an idea about something that I've been trying to solve. It feels weird to force it but it usually works. Sometimes I just write questions down so my subconscious can work on them later.

I procrastinated journaling for nearly two and half decades
Now that I have started I realise its a good tool to deal with procrastination and the behavioral issues around it

Yes, journaling helps especially when it is specific such as exploring something that is bothering you, describing it and reframing negative thinking. Sometimes, it reveals something about myself and I can let go of anger and resentment. Other times, I arrive to the root of why something is truly bothering me. I start out writing what I think it is and ask myself questions about it like I would a friend only to arrive at a conclusion different from what I thought.

You have to be very raw and honest with yourself without judgment.

Yes, it really does help. Getting the thoughts and feelings out of your head where they might be swirling around uncontrollably, and putting them down onto paper where you can see it is useful for feeling calmer, maybe seeing things more clearly, perhaps feeling less stressed and confused. The act of writing in a journal also gives you the opportunity to make some realizations or insights about the thoughts. I know it’s worked for me!

It does. It puts what is in my head on paper. That way it leaves my head, or brings all my confused thoughts into a grounded state that i can put into perspective. Even now i feel better. I often avoid processing because i internalize sooo much and am soo good at avoiding it. Writing helps me face my fear or pain, process it, and then move to a point of hope. I a feel peace.

Absolutely! It gives me to to reflect on everything that happened before and could happen. I have time to evaluate and pitting things to paper helps me figure some things out.

I take out my thinking and feelings I don't want to vent on my family and friends on my journal, so as not to stress them unnecessarily. Also, I journal my daily meditation goals so I know what to keep in mind. I'm doing Headspace meditations.

I don’t know if it will benefit everyone. But for me I feel better and reflective when I journal. It makes me be honest with myself and hopefully the more I do it the more accountable I will be.

The positive impact of journaling has also been shown in scientific research. It’s great for mental health and even the heart!

Yes, because it allows me to get all my thoughts out of my head. When they are really bad thoughts it allows me to be able to write good things back over them and retrain my brain’s thinking process. Sometimes it’s wonderful to be able to just tear up or burn the pages of really awful stuff so that it is no longer in the world.

Personally, I helps me keep track of my emotions and my day. I can get caught up in many things that I lose my train of thought, I lose control over my emotions. Journaling helps me come back to center in an organized way.

If you're rather an introverted person , It really helps you to clear out your head and relax.
If you're rather an extroverted person , sitting down and reflecting yourself with written words may be hard for you , If that's the case I advise to record your voice or keep a video diary.
Nevertheless , taking your thoughts out of your mind will definitely help you to understand yourself and relax.

Yes, I believe it does. If you’re struggling to journal, try asking yourself a question and journal your answer. Or read from a book and write about what your response to your reading. You could also do morning pages (doesn’t have to be in the morning, afternoon pages or evening pages, all the same). Simply write everything that comes to mind for a certain amount of time or length. Example: 30 minutes of none stop writing or until you’ve filled up 3 pages. There are many ways to journal. You just have to figure out what works best for you.

Journaling allows me to review my thoughts on paper, and really contemplate on what it is that I am writing down. Journaling does really help.

I am in recovery from various drug addictions but my Biggest struggle came from IV drug use of heroin and meth— I know that without journaling I wouldn't be able to maintain my recovery because journaling is where I work out my feelings and thoughts. I let it all out and work through my challenges and successes. I have multiple journals at a time and do different types of journaling daily. Throughout my life I have always been a writer and been one to fill up journals but since I started my recovery journey it has only increased with me going through a new journal every month! The best gift I ever get is a journal because it encourages me to keep up my self care and keep working on me!

YES you’d be surprised how much accountability on paper and externalising your thoughts helps. You can get a birds eye view of your life cause it’s so easy to trick yourself about your behaviour/situation.

It clears my thoughts, it's a way for me to get my praying time recorded. I check back and see how my prayers have happened

I think journaling helps because it lets me really think about my life and where I am going to start my day. Journalling allows me to process things and have a moment to me myself and I.

It depends on you and what you are trying to accomplish. It does help me organize my thoughts and get really clear on what I want. It also helps my purge negative thoughts and understand what is going on in my mind.

Giving journaling a 30 day trial is a great way to see if it’s right for you.

Only you can answer that. Try it out. Not just for a day or a week, try for at least a month. Write down your own reflection on how journaling makes you feel now and every day after. Then compare your first day with the last day and see what, if anything has changed.

I have been journaling since I was 18 I am 53 now. It is a great way to review and in some cases remember the things I have experienced. The downside is having to look back and see that that same problems with different people seem to fill the pages. Maybe I don’t learn. But regardless of whether or not you reread the entry’s it is good to review your thoughts and in some way make them real so that you can see them in the light of day.

Journaling do help with our daily life because it brings awareness when you write. It is an awareness of writing what you have done or what you have accomplished. It can help you notice different feeling or patterns in your life. Of course, writing in your journal is creativity to solve problems or be grateful for your daily life.

Yes, it helps a lot. It helps with emptying the mind instead of keeping the mind chaotic. It can help with reflecting on the daily life.

Yes. I knee better of my thoughts now. I realize I just needed a time to sort it all out and be ready to go out there and show the world who I really am and what I am capable of.

Yeah, definitely! I have a lot of very hectic and messy days and when I journal at night it feels like my mind is clear and I’m not in the hectic mindset anymore.

Although I have only recently started, taking the time to write what I am grateful for keeps me more focused on the positives during the day, and lets me fall asleep with a quieter mind.

I also hope, that in the future, I will be able to re-read my musings, and find cohesion between my entries. I wonder how my state of mind changes from one week or one month to the next.

Yes! Sometimes I don’t realize how much I actually accomplished until I start writing… also I’m able to reflect on the day and decide the good and the bad and how I might handle it better next time. Whatever you get out of it, I know I always feel better after writing.

I like to free write. I write what comes to mind as it comes to mind with no editing. It helps me gather my thoughts and feelings and make hard decisions.

Yes. Writing in the journal helped me get a clearer image of how I want to live, especially as I edited, the vision became more defined, less blurry.

I find that logging my journal first thing in the morning really does help my mindset. By putting forth my thoughts and feelings first thing in the morning, my daily intentions are set and my days go smoother versus when I write in the evening.

Yes a lot!write down your thoughts, your emotions not simply facts and notice if there are too many “I must”. Replace them with ‘ I’m thankful for’ every time you can. Have compassion for yourself and think: there’ll be a new start right now. When you write things down you feel aware of your inner self more clearly. Once it is out you feel lighter, happier.

Hello! I think it does. It can be good to put your thoughts on paper so that you can untangle the worries and/or ideas. Then you can go and revisit those thoughts and reflect on some action points that you want to make, based on those thoughts 🙂

Journaling is very helpful to me. It clarifies my thoughts, reveals patterns of experience, habits both harmful and helpful, and the commitment to journaling grows hope in my heart.
Even when negative outpourings of griefstricken despair, vicelike holding my mind captive, loudly rage my delusional perceptions, there, below the surface, my mindful practice faithfully reminds me: this too shall pass, this is not the full truth or reality. Be at peace.

Journaling helps me because it is not something I do on a regular basis. If I journal it represents how serious I am about achieving my goals. Writing it down makes it real in some strange way.

I m journaling about gratitude. It helped to cultivate a habit in life appreciating small things and telling people, which sparkles joy.

In my opinion, I think journaling helps as I used to do it a very long time ago and at first someone told me to do it and I felt obligated to do it as I was in a dark place but now years later when I look at back at how life was then, I'm grateful to say that I'm changed and it's a lot a better than it was then. So I guess for me journaling is important as it shows my journey of growing from being hopeless to hopeful

I started journaling again thanks to this app. I love journaling. I reflect on my day, note things I could do differently, note the positives and certain other specifics. I can go back and see things from before and see my progress in some areas. I also use it for gratitude. This is great for the moment as well as looking back on.

I think it depends. And the question might also be if YOU want it to work for you. If you feel journaling might not be the best fit for you then do not do it. But if you want to use it, this is for your own benefit. This is just something you are doing for you and no one else. Maybe if you start looking at it like a chore it might become tedious. But if you find it helps you to meditate on your actions and also look back on past events, analyze how you were feeling back then and how you feel about that particular event now. Be able to Put everything in a balance, discover how you are developing, changing, maturing. Again this is completely up to you 🙂

It definitely does! A lot of the time I have thoughts and feelings going through my mind 24/7 purely because it’s all locked up in there. If I write them down they are now out of my mind. It’s like journaling is the key to unlock all the tension you have

A lot!!! That was the way I found to relax and take all those excessive thoughts off my head, first thing in the morning. Journaling helps you understand what are all those thoughts and why they keep coming to your head. Writing everything down make it seems like your taking all those thoughts out of your head and giving them to your journal and then you don’t have to worry about them anymore. The more you write the better, that way you give space to new ideas on how to deal with the situation your worrying about to show up. I promise you try it and you’ll love it.

Definitely. Helps me clear my thoughts, refocus on what's important to me and set my mind in what I hope to achieve next

It really does in the most subtle way: if you do it consistently, you will enjoy gifts/blessings/added value in ways no one can tell you. It is your very personal experience between experiences that link all your experiences together. When journaling, you don’t see the days as cut off from each other, but as a journey.

You are automatically kinder to yourself, allow yourself to trial and error more easily.

Go for it!! 🙂

Be kind and thrive

Yes! It forces you to focus on one thought at a time in a linear way, which stops all the swirling anxiety and emotions in your head. Slowing down in that way can also help you work out feelings you might not have even realized you were having, and gain wholly new perspective on your life and anything that might be bothering you.

Yes, it does really help. It helps getting your mind straight and get things clear that otherwise wouldn't be. Sometimes things come up from your deep mind that will help you get new insights. It also gives a opportunity to discover more of yourself and express your deepest thoughts you can't or won't normally express to someone else.

Yes, yes, yes! It may feel ridiculous at first but it can make a huge difference if you give it some time. It’s a part of letting go of thoughts and emotions that do not serve you and like anything new you begin you won’t be good at it initially. But, if you keep practicing you will get better and better. It also serves as a record of your progress. Imagine a year from now your future Fabulous self looking back and reading what you wrote today and feeling gratitude for just how far you’ve come!

Journaling daily helps me a lot. It shows me what my priorities and concerns are that day. It helps me figure out a plan, what adjustments I'll need to make to stay on track.

Yeah it makes you really think about your day and the future when you can get caught up in the here and now when it isn't about

Yes, it really helps! You can write anything you think or feel. When you finish writing, it is very easy to reflect on what you just wrote. Write your reflection down, reflect again, etc. This really helps you get to know yourself!

Yes. For me personally, it has helped getting things out there. As an introvert, it's sometimes hard to talk about certain things, and journaling them instead has definitely helped.