A trip to the book store is always enjoyable and relaxing  and not only to browse the new novels and good reads, but I often find myself drawn to the stationary and journal section of the store. There are so many beautiful journals out there just waiting for stories and thoughts to be written in them. I love purchasing a new blank book to write in, to carry around with me and have by my side in case something important happens or just for when a grand thought enters my mind. This may be attributed to the small fact that I am a writer at heart but mostly because I find, as many other may see as well, that a journal is a place that allows you to have your thoughts flow freely without any reservation. A journal can be a place of release, but most of all a place for you to gain some insight into yourself. While this may sound slightly self indulgent, it is above all else therapeutic.  Who doesn’t want the chance to get to know yourself better, we are all a lot more complex than we think and a journal can be that window into what is truly you.

The benefits of journaling are endless. A journal is the one place where you get to decide who you want to be and allows you to change your mind at any point without any repercussions.  Some people may amaze themselves if they begin to journal; begin to record what happens in their lives and how they feel about their day to day occurrences. I’ve taken the opportunity to read back through my journals from the past and sometimes they can make a better read than a published book. Past journals can make you laugh and see that the problems that you thought were the end of your world back then seem trivial now and this allows you to be able to reflect on your problems now and see that they won’t be the end of your world. If you were able to move past what you thought was the end of the world 5 years ago, there is no doubt that you will discover that this latest catastrophe is really nothing but a bump in the road.

Journaling is a release of the soul. I always know that whatever I write will only be scrutinized by the writer…myself; no judgment.  It is important for our overall health to be able to get our thoughts and dreams, but we are not always given that opportunity. We are scared that if we tell someone our dreams or thoughts that they may not always understand or receive them as well as we had hoped. A journal can be this place for you to get those thoughts out and tell your story, no interruption, no objection, and no consequence.  If we constantly bottle up our thoughts and never get the chance to share them we may lose a part of our individuality because we are forced to conform to what people want to hear and not what we want to say. So if you are afraid to say something, take some baby steps and start writing in a journal, start listening to your thoughts and hear your dreams and record it down. You never know what you write down may surprise you.

Overall, the best part about a journal is…it can be burned, hidden, displayed, published, and may even have the chance to affect others and help them in the long run with their lives. The choice is ultimately up to you to decide what you want to do with it, but it sure is nice to know that you can hold this beautiful novel of something that is purely you. I challenge everyone out there who is reading this to start journaling, even if it is just on a scrap piece of paper, don’t be afraid of what you might write down just go for it and reap the constant benefits of journaling.

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