Why do you keep a journal?

A journal is so important to me because it allows me to express everything I wish to express that I feel that I can’t to others sincerely it is very hard to express myself in every way.

I find the act of writing things down shows me there is much more than I thought and unlocks more ideas than simply batting it around in my head. It also gives something to look back on later and reflect with the clarity of hindsight.

Keeping a journal gives me time to reflect on my day. When I’m sitting down writing about my day i get to see things in a different perspective, with the gift of hindsight. I have a bad habit of focusing on the negative parts of my day, and keeping a journal has helped me realize that there’s more to that. I feel more grateful after every day, and knowing that I can go back and look at my mental health progress is also very helpful.

I have terrible memory, so I like being able to read entries from the past and remember what I was doing and how I felt. It also motivates me to do more stuff so I'm not just writing that I did nothing all day each day.