What’s the Point of Journaling?

So, you’ve heard journaling might be helpful for you. But you already know what’s going on in your mind and solve things internally, so… why bother writing it down?

Let’s talk about it.

There’s a difference between journaling and thinking. I know, it sounds like just another thing to add to your already full to-do list. But stick with me. Our minds move fast, especially if you’re the smart, driven, overthinking type. Journaling slows that mental sprint.

It introduces intentional awareness in a way that pure thought can’t.

While your mind loves jumping to the next thing (plans, tasks, imaginary arguments with people who wronged you in 2014), journaling invites you to stay with what’s here. And that matters, especially if you tend to avoid sitting with hard emotions or uncomfortable thoughts. Which, by the way, isn’t a character flaw - it’s just what minds do.

Journaling has this sneaky way of cutting through avoidance when you least expect it. One of my favorite tricks? Write about not wanting to journal. That’s it. Literally just start with: “I’m noticing my mind doesn’t want to do this” or “I’m noticing I’m planning dinner instead.” (Both of which I’ve experienced.) The power is in choosing to stay anyway - to write even when it’s awkward or boring or slightly annoying.

If you’re wondering what the hell you’re supposed to write about, here’s the good news: there are no rules.

When you're just starting out, as I shared above, try writing about the experience of journaling itself. You might actually write, “I don’t know what to write about.” Cool, start there.

Eventually, you can get more specific. Maybe you write about a past relationship, a tense dynamic with a sibling, or something you haven’t been able to say out loud. When we journal, we start to make sense of things that felt tangled in our heads. It’s like talking to someone about a problem, except in this situation, you’re both the talker and the listener, and you get to hold yourself accountable.

Which brings me to my final “why” of journaling - it builds self-trust.

Each time you show up, even in a messy, resistant, low-energy way, you’re strengthening the muscle that says: I can be with myself. I can face what’s here.

You start to notice how you relate to different parts of you. You can even write to those parts - the anxious one, the perfectionistic one, the tired one who’s just over it. It’s surprisingly powerful if you let it be.

I get it - journaling can feel like one more thing to do. And let’s be honest - most of us (myself included) are experts at avoiding the kind of honesty journaling invites. It takes effort. It’s vulnerable. And the only way we grow is to face that vulnerability.

So if you’re wondering whether journaling is worth it, the answer isn’t in how perfectly you do it - it’s in the willingness to show up and see what unfolds.