Discovering the Benefits of Journaling: How My Journal Became My Best Friend

My journal acts as my best friend who looks out for me. She helps me see the light in the darkest of days. She helps me break down complex problems in life. She is my biggest cheerleader.

You won’t be surprised to learn I even named my journal and joyfully greet her each morning. She is a beautiful pink with a soft leather cover and over three hundred pages to keep me company for a long time. 

Like when on a long phone call with your best friend, she listens closely as I ideate, plan, and set goals, helping me grow and find clarity in my daily life. She reminds me to practice empathy when needed, be strong, and rise during difficult situations. What would I do without her? 

On days I don’t express myself on her pages, I find that I am unable to share my excitement or release my frustrations, so I show up each day meeting my journal as if meeting a friend for coffee, and I write. Without that date, I feel incomplete. Like I blew off my best friend and missed out on all her insightful advice. 

Benefits of Journaling

Whether you’ve named your journal or not, you can enjoy the benefits of journaling. Start this practice to grow, create and find clarity in life:

1. A Safe Space for Self-Expression

Journaling provides a safe, non-judgmental space for self-expression. I can share anything I like without worrying about how I am perceived. She sees me on days I am wise, strong, and resilient and when I am lost and hopeless. Each day offers a blank page onto which I can pour my heart. In that way, the journal is more than a best friend—it’s a therapist that doesn’t charge for listening to you. It is an opportunity for self-discovery.

2. Clarity of Thought

Journaling a few minutes about an unclear situation helps me gain clarity. It happens through expressing my thoughts until I know what I am looking for. Most days, this happens over multiple sessions, as I write and write until my mind is at peace and has clarity about the situation. 

Some days, this requires an action on my part, like moving on from a job that lacks growth opportunities; other days, it’s a silent letter to a friend with whom I decided to part ways. No matter the situation, my journal always provides clarity of thought, directing me toward a decision without external influence. 

3. A Source of Inspiration

My journal offers inspiration for many areas of my life, inspiring me to create.

• Writing inspiration: I constantly need new ideas as a writer. Most days, they are birthed in my journal. Journaling helps me do the necessary self-talk to determine a good topic to write about: What should I write about? Maybe things that are bringing me joy? What do people want to hear about? My mind poses questions that get answered by writing through them in my journal.

• Life inspiration: The ideation within my journal isn’t always about writing. Some days it’s how I can plan a community event or help my child be a better athlete.

Try Journaling for a Full Life

When you try journaling, you may discover it helps you in ways you wouldn’t have anticipated. In my case, I noticed that thoughts take another form once expressed on paper, making me more self-aware than if I’d simply talked things through with a girlfriend.

Try journaling as another self-reflection outlet and notice the wonders it does for you.

Not sure where to begin? Check out advice from experts like Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, and Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down The Bones, for tips on how to get started with journaling. Whether you start with a simple online journal or a beautiful leather one like mine, you’ll discover in her pages your new best friend.