I started consistently journaling back in 2018. It was the year I turned 30 and started taking City Girl Savings seriously. It was the year I decided I eventually wanted to run City Girl Savings full-time. I took an online course that required me to journal and I’ve never stopped since.
The benefits that have come over time through consistent journaling are truly amazing. I eventually was able to quit my corporate job and run City Girl Savings full-time. I was able to see the growth in my thought patterns over time. I’m able to look back on old journal entries and feel pride and gratitude. If you haven’t started a journaling routine, my hope is the 6 benefits of journaling consistently that I’m about to share encourage you to start!
6 Benefits of Journaling Consistently
#1 You become more self-aware
The more you journal, the more you learn about yourself – whether that’s in the moment or going back to read old journal entries. The more you learn about yourself, the more self-aware you become. You understand your insecurities, your triggers, your emotions, your strengths better. It’s almost like you get to have a conversation with yourself.
The more you can separate yourself and your consciousness, the better understanding you can have of yourself. I totally get if that seems like a foreign concept, but it’s a real thing. I highly recommend The Power of Now. It helps you understand mindfulness and consciousness on a whole different level!
#2 You have a space for releasing fear, trauma and anxiety
Do you struggle with holding things in? Bottling up your emotions or suppressing them to deal with later? Journaling can help you release those emotions so they don’t come out at an unfortunate time. I’m 100% speaking from experience. I remember vividly having a panic attack and instead of taking it out on my boyfriend (who triggered the attack), I journaled everything I was feeling.
I was able to read that my boyfriend my have triggered the panic, but there were a lot of fears and insecurities that came up as a result. Had I not journaled, I would have caused a terrible fight with my partner and done unnecessary damage.
Journaling can be a great resource for releasing fear, trauma, panic, anxiety or emotions. I’m not saying to use this as a way to avoid conflict, but journaling can help you identify the true issue…before you do something you may regret.
#3 You can see your growth over time
I mentioned this above, but one benefit of journaling is the fact that you can see your own change and growth over time. All you have to do is go back and read old journal entries! When I’m feeling a certain way, I like to look at journal entries from the same date but previous years. It reminds me that I have come a long way. It also reminds me that the problems I’m facing now can be solved – because they’ve always been solved in the past.
Another way to see growth over time through journaling is by journaling your goals. It’s so liberating to see the goals I worked on before and how they differ from the goals I have now. I can clearly and vividly see the new levels achieved over time.
#4 You can manifest a life you love
This goes hand in hand with my note above. When you take the time to journal out your goals, the things you want and your dream life, you can see how those things manifest over time – especially if they are things that truly matter.
Journaling can be a great way to create a life you love. You spend your time thinking about what you want and what it means to you. Then, your day-to-day actions and decisions align with you achieving those things. It’s such a magical experience.
#5 Journaling helps you keep your eyes on the prize
When you take the time to journal out your goals, you keep them top of mind. Keeping your goals front and center allows you to constantly remember what you’re working towards. As long as your goals matter to you, you’ll do things that help you achieve them.
#6 Journaling is a free form of self-care
Because journaling has so many benefits to your feelings and your life, it’s a great way to practice self-care without spending any money. I do believe that the true and lasting benefits come from journaling consistently. So, if you want to practice self-care and get all the benefits you can from journaling, make sure it’s a part of your daily routine. Check out CGS Podcast Episode 58 – My Daily Morning Routine for Boosting Productivity – you’ll learn about how I’ve added journaling to my morning routine.
Related: 6 Tips to Help You Start Journaling
If you didn’t have reason to journal, now you have 6 of them! Even if you tried it for 30 days and then decided it wasn’t for you, at least you gave it a chance. I challenge you to start journaling consistently and see what can happen for you! Do you journal consistently? What do you typically journal about? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
-Raya
The CGS Team
