The Unexpected Joy of Journaling

There are endless ways to journal and each of them brings you closer to yourself

If you can think of a way that you would like to improve or enrich yourself, then you can think of a way to journal. Mathilde Langevin/Unsplash

I was in the bookstore looking for a new journal. I pulled one with Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night painting on the cover off the shelf, assessed how many pages it had, and checked the price. It had lines. An unlined journal is better for drawing and sketching, which I like to do, but other than that it seemed perfect. It had a ribbon sewn into its spine to use as a bookmark and enough pages that it would last me several months.

I strive to be a minimalist, but choosing a new journal is a ritual that I engage in three or four times each year. It fills me with optimism and a sense of excitement. For me, starting a new journal is always like finding a new friend.

A Record to Improve Your Health

What do you do with all of your thoughts? How do you sort through your ideas? How do you make sure that you’re on the right path toward healthy living and mindfulness? I believe that anyone can benefit from keeping a journal. You don’t have to be a writer. You don’t have to know how to spell. Especially if you have an active mind—or you’re searching for ways to improve your life—the practice of keeping a journal will help.