Writing for Insight

November 17, 2022

Habit of Journaling

You may have kept a journal as a teenager, diligently writing your private thoughts, treasured hopes, and every detail of adolescent angst. So why not return to a journal today.

The habit of keeping a journal may have been left behind in the transition from teenager to adulthood. Yet taking the time to write as an adult can lead to invaluable insight. The future can become clear, as can the past. It is possible to move from the imaginary into the present, to understand and write new histories, and to gain a healing perspective by investing in storytelling that’s deeply personal.

Why I write.

Joan Didion, essayist, writes, “Our notebooks give us away, for however dutifully we record what we see around us, the common denominator of all we see is always, transparently, shamelessly, the implacable ‘I’.”

Later in her essay Why I Write, she adds, “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see, and what it means. What I want and what I fear.”

Deeply personal.

Keeping a journal is deeply personal. It is an ongoing conversation with the self. It can be a free flow of thoughts and ideas, events and relationships that lead to new insights. Keeping a journal is a way to discover and even reconnect with different selves.

Journal writing can help with mindfulness, focus thoughts, shape how events and memories are viewed, and promote a more positive outlook. Journal writing has also been used as a tool in therapy as a way of working out traumatic events.

A journal can foster creativity, experimentation, and freedom of ideas.

What are your thoughts about using a journal to foster insights for yourself? Comment below to begin a conversation.

Have an extraordinary day!