The Benefits Of Nightly Journaling

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at MSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Every night before bed, I take out my sticker-laden journal and write about what I did throughout the day. I make a note of practically everything. This gives me a chance to reflect on what I accomplished each day. I will often also find myself jotting down what I feel if I am particularly stressed or sad. Additionally, I love nothing more than flipping through all of the entries and reading about my daily life. I believe writing down my day’s events helps me to remember more about what I did each day as well as calm me down before bed. This is because journaling gives me an outlet to write about my feelings and get all of my thoughts down on paper so I can go to sleep with a relaxed mind. Starting a nightly journal is truly something I would recommend everyone starts.

One of the most important aspects of journaling for me is getting all of my thoughts out. At night I begin to worry about all of the events I have the next day. However, my journal allows me a space to write down a list of everything I have to do, which has been shown to calm down a racing mind. Having a visual list of the next day’s tasks always makes it seem like I have less to do than I originally thought I did. This way, I can go to sleep with a relaxed mind. 

I also enjoy jotting down the events of the day. This is typically as simple as what I had for lunch and what classes I attended. This helps me to remember what I did that day and on previous days. Additionally, journaling has been shown to help improve working memory. Therefore, spending a few minutes writing down your thoughts can help to improve the memory that is crucial for problem-solving and learning. 

Journaling is also an incredible outlet for letting out emotions. It is a place to get everything out without the stress of any judgment or negativity. It can also help manage anxiety and lower feelings of depression. I always feel better after writing down all of the thoughts that may be causing any negative emotions. Journaling is an outlet that facilitates the release of emotions instead of keeping them bottled inside. While I only journal at night before bed, writing down troublesome emotions can happen at any time. Still, it is nice to have built-in time to write down my feelings if I need to. 

Another amazing benefit to journaling is having a keepsake of all my treasured memories and the ability to look back over my day-to-day events. Flipping through the pages of my journal always boosts my mood and improves my day. Seeing my past thoughts and all of the fun things I did is something I constantly do, especially at night after I already finished writing down my events from the day. Additionally, it’s reassuring to know I have all the tidbits of my life written down and stored away so I can look back on them much later in my life. Keeping a journal is an amazing way to store your memories and reminisce on the past.

I know it is difficult to keep a consistent routine, especially one that contains writing every night. When I first decided to start journaling, it was daunting to think about writing each night before bed. Sometimes I would debate just skipping a day. However, I knew if I skipped even one day, I would keep skipping days, until eventually I never wrote at all. I did not want this to happen though, so I made a plan. It is important to stick to a specific time. I journal every night before bed, even on busy days. This way, it feels like part of a routine. Additionally, do not put too much pressure on what you write — it does not have to be perfect. When I first started, I thought what I wrote had to be perfect and detailed. However, as soon as I put less pressure on myself, I found journaling to be so much easier. Some days I only jot down a few sentences before tucking my notebook away. On other days, I fill up whole pages. When starting journaling, it’s important to remember it can be whatever you want it to be, and there are no rules or guidelines dictating what you should write. 

I have now been journaling for over a year, and every day I am grateful I decided to start. I look forward to writing about my day, even if the day I had was particularly uneventful. No matter what I write about, I always feel better and can go to sleep with calm thoughts. It helps alleviate my anxiety about my to-do list and allows me to jot down any negative feelings I may be currently experiencing. Additionally, my journal contains a storehouse of information and memories I have lived, allowing me to reflect on days past. My journal is everything to me. It contains my thoughts, memories, and my life. If you have been thinking about beginning a journal, this is your sign to finally pick up the pen and start putting your thoughts down on paper.