PERSONAL DIARY: 7 GREAT REASONS WHY IT IS WORTH KEEPING - LOVE-E-PSYCHOLOGY

How to write a personal diary and the 7 advantages of doing it

The tools used during the psychology sessions are many and presenting an updated diary is one of them. Today we will discover why keeping a personal diary is so important for our psychophysical well-being and best practices on writing, to make it effective and functional. Follow this tip: combine your notes on your vicissitudes with mindfulness exercises; in this video the technique that makes you happiest is explained in simple words.

Why write a personal diary

In this article, you will learn how to write a functional personal diary, how to keep it up to date, and the major benefits of writing frequently.

You must be thinking, "But isn't keeping a diary a teen thing?". Everything else!
Writing your own diary is considered among the best practices of personal growth, so much so that it is recommended by world-renowned life coaches, counselors and famous psychologists.
An adult's personal notebook is very similar to the one you kept when you were young, but by changing its substance it becomes a powerful tool for transformation.
Do not think that you are among the first to approach this habit because history is dotted with illustrious characters (men and women) who entrusted their thoughts to a notebook: Leonardo Da Vinci, Frida Khalo, Winston Churchill, Charles Darwin, Mark Twain, Anne Frank, Marcus Aurelius, George Lucas, Ludwig Van beethoven, Marie Curie. Not quite strangers right?
They all entered history, for the most diverse reasons, but what unites them is that they have chosen to allocate their reflections to a paper object through their pen, and in this way they have made a sort of inner journey, based on reflection of ideas, emotions and events.

Let's get busy, starting to discover the reasons why keeping a diary is essential for personal growth. Basically we will try to explain to you why it works so well on our psyche and also on our productivity, making us better even in the workplace.

7 awesome things that happen when you start writing a personal journal

1. Stress decreases
The first positive effect of keeping an up-to-date notebook is that it "helps" to absorb the problems, your worries, anxieties and all the related stress. It works so well that it is used as a tool in therapies for the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and anxiety in general.
We tend not to deal with negative emotions, but this only adds to the tension. Directly venting with pen and paper, noting any harmful feelings such as frustrations (yes, you can write swear words too!), Causes emotions to confront each other, rather than cover them up.

2. Your mental and work skills are stimulated
Did you know that through your hands it is possible to rework abstract concepts? Our upper extremities are not just for handling things, because there is a very strong link between them and the mind. Today we may have forgotten it a bit due to the great use of technological tools and keyboards, but it is precisely by writing by hand that creative thinking is stimulated, from which the production of new ideas derives. With the help of a personal diary it is possible write these notes in your own hand and then reflect on them. A well-known university such as Harvard has summarized in a study how people who reflect a posteriori and in writing on their experiences are those most likely to improve from the point of view of performance, including professional ones.

3. Short-term memory has improved
Another study by the University of North Carolina pointed out that those who vent their negative emotions on a personal diary can improve their short-term memory and optimize their chances of obtaining excellent scores in aptitude tests. Why? As mentioned before: by writing you drive away the intrusive and "hindering" thoughts, in this way it is possible to get rid of all those negative parts that prevented you from focusing on the present.

4. You learn from lived experiences
Immersed as we are in the daily routine it is very difficult to stop and think about what an event means and what it arouses in us. Through writing, however, when the day is over, we have the opportunity to review those same experiences and grasp the points of view that had escaped us.

5. A form of meditation is activated
We have already reiterated that the act of writing forces you to stay in the present. Mind and body are in harmony and are synchronized when your thoughts slip on the paper. Keeping a personal journal is a bit of a ritual, and just like meditating, yes it tends to do this at specific times of the day, in the morning or in the evening.

6. You know yourself a little better
Journaling is a form of personal catharsis. Day after day you can look deeply inside yourself and perceive some attitudes you were in the dark about. By controlling your thoughts you can get to know yourself better and consequently act more consciously.

7. You are happier!
Just like with negative emotions, reflections written on paper that value what's good in your life allow you to see them clearly and give thanks for your surroundings.

How do you start keeping a diary

Have we convinced you to start? Well, because now let's move on to the more practical aspects: how to start writing your memories from scratch.

To leave you need anything you like and that is aimed at writing, an old notebook, a notepad, or a real diary with a lot of padlock is fine (you could also resort to technology, but we think there is less taste than hold a pen). Check that there are many blank pages on which you can allocate your thoughts; then choose the writing tool. Of course you can use any pen or change it from time to time, but it's nice to have an object that serves solely to draft what you try. Don't opt for pencils, they tend to fade over time!
Once you have selected these two important objects you can start creating a routine.

Routine is important in the process of writing one's memories, because it imprisons a particular moment and creates a space dedicated only to ourselves. For example in the evening before bed or in the morning as soon as you arrive at the office. You can also think about always carrying your diary with you, so that you can write at any time. Whichever option is best for you make sure you make it a habit: this is the first step to help you in future maintenance, because it turns into a means of communication with the blank page.

Lastly, try to make your writing routine enjoyable. Create an environment that makes you feel comfortable while writing. The space must be intimate, and it must give you calm and relaxation. Decorate it as you like, perhaps adding some inspirational objects or scented candles. Are you not at home? You can also write in a bar full of people; the important thing is that the place is right for you.
Consider 5, 10 or 15 minutes each day that you will devote to writing your personal diary. Now start!

Tips for writing a diary

It is completely normal to feel insecure when faced with a blank page; the fear of not knowing that writing is just around the corner. Try not to procastinate too much if you have decided to start: throw yourself and start with simple things! Here are some practical tips that can help you write a diary:

Write down the date every time you write; it will seem obvious and boring, but it is very useful for arranging the page and reviewing your notes over time.
Start small, perhaps aiming to do this activity for about 5 minutes a day for a week. It works better than telling yourself you have to do it forever.
At the beginning, answer some simple questions and start with the writing (What did I learn today? What problems were there? What were my recurring thoughts of this day? And new ones? How did I feel and what am I thankful for? To maximize the benefits of writing a personal diary, ask yourself the right questions and you will see that the results will come, and you will find the answers right on your pages.
Don't worry if you can't write every day, the important thing is to maintain a minimum of consistency without abandoning it.

Don't let others read your writings. It often happens that, knowing that someone else will read it, you get stuck in the flow of thoughts, failing to be totally honest. You have to focus on overcoming your inhibitions if you want your diary to be a real tool for personal growth and if this means that you are the only one reading your notes, go for it!
Look at your journal as if they were thoughts on paper. That is, it doesn't have to be grammatically perfect writing. Writing straight away reporting what you think focuses on content rather than form.
Have fun writing by inserting in your reflections not only mere facts, but emotions and your ideas. Talk to yourself by writing phrases like "I felt today". Also include scribbles, drawings and anything you feel like putting pen to paper. Also feel free to experiment with styles using lists and poems.
Reread what you wrote (if you have the time), but don't correct, rather add. You can clarify many things by re-reading your diary, but don't change a comma of what you put into words: keeping a personal diary is an additive process.

4 functional diary formats

As we said at the beginning, the personal diary of an adult is different from the adolescent one and one of the aspects that distinguish it is that it can be preformed based on some schemes designed specifically to add value to both the personal and professional spheres. the fear of the blank sheet, so why not try them ?. Here are the 4 types of diary we liked the most:

1. The 5 year diary
2. Morning Pages
3. The Five Minute Journal
4. The diary of gratitude

The 5 year diary
This is ideal if you are someone who likes to look back in time and retrace the vicissitudes that occurred in days that are now in the past. We are not talking about events that took place over a long period of time, but on specific days. Would you like to remember who you were with on today's date three years ago? Or what made you happy? Perfect, the 5 year diary entries are for you.

We explain how the template is structured: it is very simple and functional. Each page corresponds to a day of the year, each day you have 5 spaces with 5 lines each in which you go to insert the current year. This notebook is filled in "horizontally", that is, in the first year you will write only in the first space consisting of 5 lines dedicated to the "year in which you write (for example 2021). Once the year is over, you move on to the second space and fill in every day of 2022, and so on for the following years. When you get to the 5th year of compilation you have at your fingertips a full page filled by hand with your thoughts, divided by years.

Advantages of the 5-year diary: it helps not to miss important moments that recur every year, such as birthdays, which we often overlook but which are certainly noteworthy. It is a diary suitable for those who want to have everything under control, and write little but every day; it also allows you to see at a glance what the personal growth path has been without having to retrieve old notebooks.

Morning Pages
As the name suggests, Morning Pages are written in the morning, usually when you are just awake. The concept of keeping pages of this type is to access thoughts and reflections that we usually do not listen to because they are overloaded by our days. Unlike the previous model, this diary does not have a limit of lines per day, but rather the writing is uninterrupted, because its purpose is precisely to let thoughts go by. You throw everything that comes into your head on the paper and then start your day, that's why the ideal would be not to let anyone read it or, if you prefer, even throw the pages once completed. The creator of this diary is Julia Cameron .

The strengths of the Morning Pages? They have a real therapeutic effect because through this writing methodology we tend to leave our anxieties and fears on paper. And this allows you to look beneath the surface to understand where they come from. In addition, a ritual to start the day is created with a moment dedicated only to oneself, to remind us how important we are.

The 5 Minute Journal (Five Minute Journal)
It is a method invented by Alex Ikonn and UJ Ramdas and integrates different approaches. In about 5 minutes you can track your thoughts and behaviors, in order to improve yourself.
There are several types filled out previously, but it is an easy diary to make even at home. To obtain an effective 5-minute diary, just divide each page of the diary, which must be daily, into 5 parts. You fill out the first 3 parts in the morning and the last 2 in the evening. In the morning you have to answer 3 questions that concern three very specific areas: gratitude, planning and goals. The last 2, on the other hand, focus on happiness and change. In order you will answer the first questions in the morning and the last ones in the evening. It almost seems like a task, but in reality it is an "opportunity for reflection. Here is a starting point:

Morning

3 things I'm grateful for
How I'm going to make this day great
Positive affirmation

Evening

What are the 3 beautiful things that happened today?
How could I make today's day better?

The diary of gratitude
You may have already heard of it, because it is a very effective type of diary. It helps you focus on the present and not always be looking for something better. There are several gratitude journals on the market, you just have to fill them out. If you love DIY things, you can also make it at home, in a simple way: find a blank notebook and on each page write 3 to 5 headlines, which underline the feeling of gratitude. Begin the sentences with "Today I am grateful for .." or "The reason why I am grateful today is .."; find the formula you like best. Every day you need to focus on 3 or 5 events, people or even situations, for which you feel truly grateful. In each individual identify the reason for this feeling, so as to impress it better in the mind. Be creative! Reread these motifs after you write them down and go over them every time you feel you need them.