Growing up, I often thought about writing a diary. But I thought that if anyone found my diary, they could find out all of my secrets. I have many images of teenagers in movies, especially girls writing in diaries with locks on them. I also remember the story of the diary of Anne Frank, the holocaust survivor who noted down all of her experiences during World War 2. Diaries can prove to be invaluable for recording memories which otherwise may be forgotten.
I have just come back from an overseas trip to Japan, and I have decided to document my travels there. I did not have access to my computer or phone, so that will be my big project today; to complete my trip diary. I have found that over the years you start to forget where you have been and what you have done, not only in everyday life but also when traveling. You can always look back on your diary, and also the practice of writing the diary itself will help you to really think about what you enjoyed about the trip and what, if anything, disappointed you.
Diaries have many other functions. If you have goals that you want to achieve, it is very useful to document your journey to achieving them. You can use your diary to reflect on how you were able to achieve your steps towards your goals, and what you need to successfully complete them.
Goals can also be as detailed as you want. You could document your thoughts and feelings. This can be especially important if you are experiencing stress, anxiety or depression, or any other mental health issues. Research has shown that expressive writing; writing where you are required to honestly reflect on challenges and distressing experiences may help with depression, if it was used with other interventions.
For me personally, I find that writing helps to calm my mind. Often there are so many feelings and emotions overwhelming me. Writing some of these feelings and emotions on paper, or typing them, is a way of getting them out of my head and clearing the clutter. Some days I have a lot to write, some days I don’t, but it is a useful tool and one that I recommend.
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