11 Reasons Why I Journal (and you should too!)

A while back, I made journaling part of my daily Rituals.

Every morning and before bed, I journal.

Mostly about my day but also things that I need to remember, ideas I want to fully flesh out, to-do lists, action items - all taken out of my brain and on to paper in my journaling process. I feel so much more clearheaded, organized, and generally on my shit since I've started journaling regularly.

I find that it's easiest to connect to something and do it regularly if I can get to the why. Why am I doing this? Why is it good for me? What am I going to get out of it?

These are my whys for journaling. It is my hope that these will be relevant and that you'll reap the same benefits!

11 Reasons Why I Journal (and you should too!)

1. To act as my own Scribe

   "They say goldfish have no memories I guess they're lives are much like mine//and the little plastic castle is a surprise every time//and it's hard to say if they're happy here but they don't seem much to mind" --Little Plastic Castle, Ani Difranco

   I do very much mind. I forget things. Dates. Times. When I did something or whatever funny thing my kids did. Writing these things down reinforces memory and also gives me a place to document so I can read back later.

2. ADHD Tool

   I was diagnosed with and began treatment for ADHD in January 2025. This video contains a pretty accurate analogy for living life undiagnosed and finding the tools necessary to exist and be successful (Link takes you to Facebook). Along with wearing a watch, writing things down and having a record have been invaluable to not forgetting important things and controlling the constant torrent of ideas and thoughts in my head.

3. Mental Health

   It has been shown in multiple studies the benefit journaling has on mental health (here, here, and here are good ones!). It can help with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental illness or just someone with a lot of stuff on your mind. The act of writing specifically, moving your hand across the page and turning pages, has even been shown to be beneficial! It is thought this is the act of writing causes you to slow down your thoughts and concentrate on the task at hand vs typing, which may be faster. An online or app journal is better than no journal at all but a physical journal is where it's at!

4. Habits and Rituals

Journaling is a habit I am constantly working to cultivate. I do it twice a day, every day, during my morning and evening Rituals. My Rituals are made up of Habits I perform to keep myself balanced and sane and help me live a Joyful, Wild life.

I write and track my Habits and Rituals in my journal (that is itself a Habit and a Ritual). It's all very habitual and ritualistic.

5. Physical Health

   Yes, journaling even helps your physical health. Not only does it help fall asleep faster, studies have also shown help with inflammation and physical wellness.

   The main thought is that by getting this stuff out, you're better able to focus in other areas. Say for instance you have something big going on tomorrow that you have going through your head and you can't sleep. Write about it a bit. See if that doesn't help.

6. Learning Tool

   On my weekly spreads, I have a Tarot Card of the Week that I also blog about here. I pull a new card on Wednesday and dig deep in to that card for the next 7 days. I journal about it, I write it in my daily spread, if it's not too complicated I might even do a lil doodle in my journal. I use my journalng as a learning tool to explore a topic I want to learn more about - in this case, Tarot.

7. Express Creativity

   By and large, my journal is for writing. I don't do a lot of fancy spreads or doodles that often. When I do though, I really enjoy it. I don't often have the time do go in depth with my designs. I have to make the time to prioritize design and really should do so more often. Giving myself the time and the tools to make something attractive as well as informative works both sides of our brains and incorporating creativity in something you are trying to remember increases neuroplasticity - helps the brain adapt, learn, and grow.

8. Neuroplasticity!

   While we're on the subject, not just creative journaling but journaling itself increase1s neuroplasticity. Making journaling a practice is like any other skill or hobby we practice at - the more you do it, and the more regularly you do it, the better the results. Journaling works our creativity (see #7), memory, and self reflective muscles among many others.

9. Track Random Things

   You ever want to know how many birds you see in a month? I once tracked how many confederate flags I saw on a trip to a rural area for the weekend (23, btw).

   In your journal you can track whatever silly thing you want. Consider it a fun lil bonus.

10. Track Important Things

    OK I also track important stuff in there. I have Habit Trackers to make sure I do my Spanish lesson and read every night and to take my meds in the morning. I recently started tracking Intentional Movement - a way of tracking exercise without exercising (I hate exercising). In tracking it, I realized I wasn't getting enough. Now I'm looking for ways to work it in.

11. External Brain

    My Journal is my external brain. I write everything in there. If I need to remember something, if I need to work something out, if I'm making a plan or brainstorming, it all goes in there.

12. Get Shit Done

    Writing everything down in redundant systems is the only way I get shit done. Everything gets first put in my Google Calendar (with alarms) and transfered to my journal for daily and weekly spreads. I am able to remember to do things and to prepare for them because it's in my journal and I've taken the time every time I've seen it to think about what I need to be succesfull.

These are the main reasons why I journal. I find that it helps me to have my pretty little external brain to keep myself on track and get shit done. It's a tool in my arsenal that helps me live a Wild and Joyful Life. I can't be Wild without first having order and I can't be Joyful if I'm rushed or unprepared.

Do you journal? How do you find it helps you? Have you found your why?