BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Self Development Benefits of a Diary or Journal

A very warm welcome to the Self Development Forum !

Diaries and journals allow you to document what happens to you and around you moment by moment. Your diary or journal entries allow you to look at your life and life around you in a different light. There are many benefits to keeping a diary or journal, especially as a self development tool, as discussed in this article.

See: Benefits of a Diary or Journal

* Do you keep a diary or journal?
* What benefits have you experienced?
* Are there any disadvantages in keeping one?

I'd love to receive your feedback so do add your comments, queries, thoughts, etc., to this Forum thread. I look forward to hearing from you!

Hi Joy:

When I was younger, now 53, writing down stuff really helped and I would go back over it during those times when I wondered if I had made any progress in my life's journey.

But now I am finding, I want to leave EACH day, and not look back when it is passed.

I guess we transform our coping routine as we travel through life.

Now, my only child now 25, she does a journal and I am glad this helps her cope with life's challenges.

In ending, I now have a "grateful" attitude towards life as my 57 year old boyfriend's words of wisdom finally clicked in after 3 years of hearing them - tomorrow is not promised. As I am "grateful" for things that come into my DAILY life, it helps me feel "special" and draws more of the same into my life.

Talk soon!

Tomorrow is not promised.

So true Angela. We never know how long we have. I mentioned the idea of writing your own obituary on another thread as a way of clarifying/focusing on what matters - the idea of this being that it helps you clarify what you want to be remembered for. Reading Joy's article it has just occurred to me that this would be a great exercise to do in journallling form at the end of each year - it could always be the same, it could grow as you grow... A further finesse on the idea is to write the words you would like to see on your gravestone.

Hi Asha:

Yes, I did stop by to visit your post and left a comment. That particular post made me THINK about some things I needed to do that I have been "waiting" for the perfect time to do.

Bottom line, you can plan, but life has a way of doing what it has planned. So we either sit around or we get busy!

Re: Benefits of a Diary or Journal

Hi Angela, thank you for your comments on how you and your daughter use journals. They do indeed help people to cope with �life�s challenges.� It�s also interesting that you mention �gratitude� as there are many different types of journals and �gratitude journals� are actually on the increase. (JOY)

Hi Asha, your comment above made me think of another way of documenting your life as you live it. This can be done via an 'Ethical Will' - something quite different to an ordinary will. Have a look at this article: So Grows The Tree (JOY)

To be honest, I haven't been keeping a diary or journal. Though I have often thought about it. The article was excellent and it inspires we to give it a try. I'll report back.

I am delighted you liked the article and look forward to your feedback on how a diary or journal works for you! (JOY)

I definitely feel journals help with life progress. Depending on where you are in your journey you can sort out your day or simply offer gratitude for your blessings.

A journal helps me clarify my goals and allow me to write about my achievements as well as my ideas. Furthermore, this allows you to see the steps that you have taken towards your goal and will allow you to see where you stand as well as how much further you have to go to complete your goals.