3 Things I’ve Learned From Keeping a Diary for Over 20 Years
Keeping a diary is hard. I’ve been a diarist in an infrequent capacity most of my life. I haven’t yet created a daily habit because I forget or I’m too tired at the end of the day. But on a deeper level, I knew there was value in documenting your own life.
Recently, I realized that keeping a diary has many benefits that technology has enriched and made more accessible.
1. Diaries record your inner life.
The first and obvious benefit of keeping a diary is that you’ll have a record of your life. My own diaries remind me of how I used to be (good and bad) and keep me in touch with forgotten aspirations.
This retrospection is more enjoyable with journaling apps because of photos, tags, activity tracking, weather and music information. One app I use compiles this information for you, so ample entires are made before you even start writing.
If you’re just beginning this habit, you can explore what dreams and goals you currently have. And if you decide to use an app, you can easily search and scroll through your memories.
2. Diaries are spaces for you to explore, express, and experiment with whatever thoughts you have.
I could go on and on about the creative potential of diaries but I’ll show you examples from artists instead.
Analog diaries currently have the monolopy on promoting creativity. Of the apps I have come across, none of them have in-app support for drawing or voice-recording. Nonetheless, apps foster spontaneous documentation when moments of inspiration strike.
Through this easy accessibility, journaling apps integrate self-reflection in our every day lives.
3. Diaries have great potential for processing your emotions.
Journal therapy is a well-studied and used technique that helps people with a variety of issues. My diaries have helped me deal with growing pains (unrequited love and family problems) and control life long attributes (anxiety and depression).
Since I’m a sucker for a beautiful diary, I typically don’t carry them around with me. Journaling apps help when I’m caught off-guard by a stressful situation and need help processing.
Diary keeping is an old tradition that fosters one of the core experiences of being human; exploration of the self. With the aid of technology, it’s becoming an easier and more engaging process. You’ll never regret keeping a diary. You’ll only regret not doing it more often.
