Like most people, you probably think of journaling as a tool for recording your thoughts and memories. Perhaps you kept a dream journal as a kid or wrote in a diary whenever you felt like the world was crumbling around you. But did you know that journaling can be a powerful tool for improving mental and emotional health?

When done regularly, journaling can provide benefits such as reducing stress, elevating your mood, increasing self-awareness, and promoting creativity and concentration. 

But what exactly is journaling?

The term, journaling, means different things to different people. 

However, at a high level, journaling is writing down your thoughts, feelings, plans, goals, and everything in-between to assist you with managing your life and improving your productivity and focus. Keeping a journal can be as simple as writing weekly or monthly in a notebook. Or, it can become as complex as having a detailed, tab-divided book that you revisit and reflect on daily. 

To start, you need a notebook, sketchbook, and a writing utensil. It's that easy. A hardcover sketchbook is an excellent option because it doesn't limit you to words and provides much more creative freedom. 

Writing in a journal can help you reflect and assist with identifying your path forward, which is therapeutic for many. In addition, writing in a journal has many surprising benefits, such as reducing stress, improving your mental health, and understanding your thoughts and values more clearly.