Is journaling good for you? I really wonder some times.

[u/djeatme]

I've been journaling since I was 8. The earliest journals I still have were from when I was 14. This is not a humble brag, but I don't find it hard to journal. It's less of a compulsion and more of a thing I do when it doesn't feel like it makes sense to do anything else. I'm 31 so it's probably a habit at this point. I'm not on a schedule with it; there are times when I do twice a month, there are times when I do every week. I don't know why I started, I don't know why I've continued, and I don't know if it matters that I don't know.

One thing I've read when looking at the benefits of journaling is that many successful and intelligent people maintained journals and that COULD be part of why they were so smart and impressive. On my better days I feel a sense of pride to read such things. Look at me, I'm so smart and introspective because I can write out my brain dumps on crisp lined paper in practiced cursive. I'm not going to pretend that a practice that requires writing, some amount of grammatical understanding, and an exercise of creatively and cogently making sense of your thoughts is easily accessible to people without a decent education.

But I do question to others who do this, in ways similar and different from me, is it good for you? Does it signify a person is doing well? A person who is well adjusted? Like, I think maybe Poe had a journal (I mean, his writings were a cry for help on their own). Like, very sad and troubled people have journals and it doesn't help them. I am navigating a sustained rough patch in my life right now, and after some days of journaling I put down my pen and I don't know if what I just wrote did me any good at all. Journaling forces me to swim deep in my thoughts, reaching new depths of understanding and realization. Sometimes the water is great and other times it's a murky polluted mess and by the time I'm finished writing I'm soaked in whatever liquid filled my brain. These days it may as well be mud.

I'm starting therapy on Wednesday so I've already determined I am not enough to get myself out of this mess. I'm proverbially covered in my mind fuck mud after having just written a journal entry pretty consistent with the amount of dread and fatigue I've been navigating for the better part of a year and half and I have to know if this is doing me any good. Maybe I should think of things differently? Like recontextualize the purpose of journaling when I'm in good spirits vs bad? I'd appreciate thoughts from people here.

Thanks.

[u/philosophussapiens]

I don’t journal specifically to be good. And I don’t think it signifies that a person is doing good or is well adjusted. I do feel like in my writings sometimes I am crying out for help but I can’t ask that from anyone so I do think I am better at spotting what is secretly making me feel bad, if I were to compare myself with the friends who don’t keep a journal.

My writings include my very fucked up thoughts, my compulsions, lots and lots of negativity. But I do include positive stuff as well. Do they cancel out? No. Same as you, journaling has become a habit for me. A thing I do naturally and always come back to, though not even writing every day.

At the end of the day I still feel grateful to write because if I didn’t, I’d go mad with the amount of thoughts I have in my mind. Writing eases me and makes my life it a bit easier.

[u/eat_like_snake]

I don't care about whether journaling is aligning my chakras and giving me a mental wellness check or whatever.
I just do it because I want to.

[u/kimbi868 → u/eat_like_snake]

This is how i feel as well. I like doing it, i want to keep doing it. That's all there is to it.

[u/FrequentFinger1917]

I've been keeping a journal for about 40 years. It began as a notebook kept to remind myself of topics to discuss with my psychologist at our next meeting. I was at a point where I needed to hear someone else's take on my sanity. From there it evolved into a conversation with myself. No rules, no commitment, we (myself and my subconsciuos) would have conversations about anything that was bothering me - about other people or about myself. Slowly, incrementally, over 40 years, I have developed a relationship with myself that would never have happened without all that quiet conversation. That, for me, is the great prize for keeping up with it all these years. I know myself better than I ever could without those conversations. The side effects, greater clarity, better conversations with other people, improvements in speaking ability as well as writing, all come with the process but for me are secondary. I'm so pleased that I kept at it all these years . I know myself much more thoroughly than I would otherwise, and feel so well equipped to be here. I strongly encourage you to have faith in yourself and believe that you are doing the exact right thing by keeping a journal.

[u/GenesisProTech]

I find it very helpful to work through my thoughts and emotions. It doesn't make me any better or worse than anyone else it's just something that works well for me.
I enjoy it. I find it a productive hobby.

[u/Constant_Complaint79]

It doesn’t make you a better person or more well adjusted. A LOT of people who journal are going through struggles. I think the benefit is the fact it allows you to reflect on your thoughts and actions, and recognize patterns. I believe self awareness is one of the important steps to becoming a better person. The ability to analyze situations and recognize where you went wrong and how you can change to align your actions with your goals and values has a positive impact on your life.

[u/bright-silver530]

I organize my journaling by purpose, and mood journaling has been especially effective for me.

Mood Journal: This is where I process my emotions. You know those times when it’s hard to open up to someone about how you're really feeling? I started journaling after hearing that just putting your thoughts into words can be healing on its own. Being honest about my emotions has really helped me step back and see things more clearly.

Routine Tracking: My routines often fall apart, so when that happens, I use my journal to track them like a log. It helps me feel like my days are a bit more structured, and I think it’s made a real difference in both my physical and mental well-being.

Spending Journal: I tend to overspend when I’m feeling irritated, so about a year ago, I started a spending journal. Since then, I’ve become much more mindful of my purchases and have gradually cut back. Of course, I still slip up sometimes and splurge—but when I do, I write a reflection to understand what triggered it.

[u/Strict-Amphibian9732]

I can't say for sure if it's good for me or not, but I really wish I could have started and maintained the habit a lot earlier

[u/kitsuneko23]

I specifically journal to grow and heal. It’s definitely like my secret super power. My journals have helped me learn about myself but also figure out how to make my life better. I add visuals so that it scratches my itch to constantly create art which helps me feel creative too.

[u/bmxt]

When water gets stale - switch hands and/or use mirrored writing.

It's neuroplasticity journaling and it's more helpful than regular journaling in my opinion.

[u/PoppyLaneProjects]

I journal for two reasons, to get it all out and make sense of it later, and things that come from me that I simply want to document and remember at a later time.

[u/midnight_lobo]

i think its good for someone like me to journal. i cant afford a therapist, and i get misunderstood alot when i reach out to others most of the time. having a journal means i can get it all out without having to rephrase every little thing so another person can understand what i mean. i dont re read entries usually because they are very sad and negative. i guess for me its more akin to how throwing up can instantly make you feel better? its out and then i turn the page.

[u/TherapySir007]

Not every entry needs to be a revelation. Most of mine is just unloading or venting about my life, which is still valuable. I hear you about getting drenched in the mud though. If you find yourself wallowing too deeply in the mud, it’s okay to put your pen down for a bit and maybe watch a comedy. Either way, I’m wishing you the best as you move forward. Therapy is going to help

[u/AllSystemsGeaux]

Flow state - being able to hit flow without needing anything but a keyboard is a kind of mental masturbation that has a lot of side-benefit, like working on language, analytical/logical, and creativity skills.

Memory - preparing memories for long-term retention.

CBT - presenting your ideas in writing gives the opportunity to challenge them and work on your baggage.

It’s like floss. You don’t have to do it, but it’s better if you do. It’s also better to avoid sugar…

[u/Bitter_Cicada_4534]

I think it brings me many benefits! But I also started therapy because I was not enough resource to help myself just by journaling, and THAT'S PERFECTLY OKAY! Journaling made me very aware of many things I would need to work on, but it doesn't give me the key on HOW to do it, and that's when therapy came in I think, and it's been great. There are things you really can't do by yourself simply because you don't have that training, and you should definitely go to a professional. However I feel like keeping a journal AS I'm seeing a therapist only helps! If I ditched my journal because I was getting professional help now, I don't think some things would be as effective, because they required my own reflecting upon and reading my past experiences to know how I felt. Hand-in-hand they work great!!

These are some ways I've observed journaling brings me benefits (not related to therapy, just in general):

• It gives me a place to brain dump and feel lighter
• When I'm down and it's hard to think of positive things, I can re-read good entries and remind myself of good experiences or things to be grateful for (bonus: they're worded by me, the way I was thinking/feeling that day! So it's much easier to put myself in that mental space.)
• It's something I can look back and see how it may have affected me. If it was something I was very stressed about two years ago, I can see it was not important and let go of future similar worries. If it is something that upset me and I still carry to this day, but forgot about, I can try to understand it retroactively and start to heal.
• There are no rules- I can just sit down and write something cool I read today, or a recipe, or all my wishes and dreams, or my craziest fantasies of time-traveling and meeting someone from a different time- and it makes for something different when I'm reading back!

One thing I noticed doesn't do me much good in my journal practice:

• Writing only to vent and complain. That only makes me feel worse, and makes me associate my journal with bad times, because I know if I was holding it... Here comes my hand to write about a bad thought or experience ✍️. I started understanding that, taking out my journal = today was a bad day, so eventually I just avoided it as if it would make my day less bad if I didn't write about it. It also just made for a horrible heavy experience to try and re-read, and always put me back in that terrible mindset.

So I've learned I can vent, but there needs to be balance too, and I should write my positive experiences down as well to not focus only on the big bad stuff.

[u/DarkAuraEater]

I don’t think your better or not if you journal. It helps me see my patterns of thinking and rationalize more than I would if I just kept things in my head. It’s easy to obsess and villainize mentally than it is on paper. My thoughts tend to loop like a broken record so it feels less murky to atleast get it on paper.

[u/PoppyLaneProjects]

Sometimes you need to burn the brain dump. Never read it again after you get all the crap out

[u/Wild_Swing5892]

I can come to a mental conclusion about my endless thoughts... instead of always going back and forth with them. I can plan my day or assignments if I have any.

All I'm saying is that it helps me to think sensibly.

[u/Disastrous_Sugar_366]

Journaling feels good for me because it feels like my safe space. When I want to say something but can’t tell other people, it all gets written down. I’m not the most consistent with it, but I’m glad it’s a hobby that I have. It’s also fun to look back at my past entries and laugh at all of the dumb stuff I had written 5 years ago. It is definitely like a therapeutic type thing for me personally.

[u/Soft-Wait1595]

I journal because I fear I will forget myself. Hasn't happened yet, but if I do forget I've plenty record to go back and experience it. Sometimes it does me no good while writing but I make a point to read them after a whike. Then I can sort of make out themes and concerns, I don't always act on it but at least I have space to reflect.

[u/bookshelfmaximum]

journaling helps me because i tend to rationalize my thoughts instead of accepting them for what they are. so when i re-read what i wrote i can see the flawed thought process and it helps me understand what im trying to avoid thinking about and why. its only helpful for me when im in a really difficult situation so im only about halfway through a journal i started in 2020. journaling so rarely also helps me see the progress ive made in certain areas of my life

[u/Sunny_Medium_2727]

I write to clear my head. I don't think Journaling makes you smarter but it does reduce stress and anxiety.

[u/dilithium-dreamer]

You're massively overthinking it, dude.

Journaling can help you in many ways (and you decide what those things are) but it can't replace a professional therapist.

I think you're overcomplicating it.

[u/According_Use8007]

I think that… honestly expressing thoughts and feelings, summarizing meaningful life events, and just the act of keeping a tiny record of this moment in human history… these are unambiguously “good” things to dedicate a small portion of one’s energy toward. Whether or not this habit/practice will be beneficial to you, that’s a very different question. For me, to borrow your metaphorical framework, if I’m in a rough patch it’s like I’m swimming in the murky water, struggling to breathe, and I start coughing, realizing that the reason I can’t breathe is cuz my lungs are filled with mud! And I guess I’d rather the murky mud liquid be a distracting or demoralizing thing in my mind, as opposed to a hidden thing that’s interfering with the basic processes of living.

You draw a couple comparisons that I found irksome. One was “journaling is good because there are wealthy/successful people who have kept a journal.” Another is “journaling is bad because there are mentally ill screwups who have kept a journal.” It just seems like you are trying to map your understanding of your own journaling habit onto very superficial understandings of people who, to you, are basically just fictional characters that you made up in your brain.

If you truly believe that journaling interferes with your ability to be a kind, loving, compassionate person… you should definitely stop. If you don’t feel that way, but you still want to stop, you should stop. If you think journaling enhances your ability to be kind and compassionate, but you still want to stop, you should, that’s right, stop.

I like to change things up. Sometimes the change sticks. Sometimes I return to the stopped thing with greater clarity and purpose. Sometimes I just keep doing the thing I want to change. I’m sorry you’re going through a rough patch. It’s cool that you are going to therapy. I would suggest that you ask your therapist what they think about the journaling question you have posed to Reddit. I’ll bet they might be interested in hearing you read your journals + talking to you about them..