Is journaling a good hobby?- Here is why
Is Journaling a good hobby or a waste of time? Here is the truth from an experience!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure here.
When Thinking about starting journaling as a hobby…
Are you confused and wondering if it is a good hobby or just a waste of time?
I have been Journaling for quite a few years now, and I can tell you
Journaling is a Great hobby! In fact, it is much more than a Hobby!
Journaling is for sure not a waste of time for anyone who is thinking to start!
Many people think journaling is a waste of time and nothing really happens from it but
It is far from that! Journaling is a form of expressive writing, and We all know, writing has been a powerful and deeply meaningful passion and profession to many for years!
Just like that! Journaling is a form of expressive writing you do for yourself, as a hobby, and as a way to heal from pain!
If you are discouraged and confused about whether you should journal and whether it will be meaningful as a hobby
In this post, I am going to talk about whether is journaling a good hobby and why you must Journal!
My Journey with Journaling
I First Started journaling around the age of 16 as a way to write my dreams and goals.
I used to journal my feelings and practice journal prompts
Journal prompts are what helped me stay consistent and start my self-growth journey
It helped me connect with myself and improve my mental health
Growing up. in an Asian household, it is hard to express your feelings so openly
For me, journaling was a way, I could write whenever I was feeling down, and it helped me feel lighter
Not only that, it was through journaling, I started spending mindful me-time and discovering myself
Ever since then, I have realized that journaling is not only a great hobby but beyond that!
So here are a few great reasons why journaling is a good hobby, and you should try it!
1. It’s Therapeutic
When you meet a friend and catch up on your life
Sharing your dreams and goals, How do you feel?
Isn’t it exciting and therapeutic?
Just like talking to a friend. Through this, Journaling you can share all your love and passion with yourself.
It is a beautiful and therapeutic form of self-expression
Not only good things but when we are going through something rough or thinking deeply about life
We love having those deep conversations with a friend, it is therapeutic
Similarly, in journaling, you have those deep talks about what you are going through and feel with yourself.
When we are thinking about our dream life that we imagine in our head, we love it and feel good imagining it
Journaling it on a piece of paper makes the experience much more fun, clear and intimate.
A hobby is after all something that makes you feel good, and you enjoy the process of doing it!
This is why Journaling is definitely a good hobby to enjoy your time with yourself
If you have tried journaling and find it boring- Here are 7 reasons you find Journaling boring + How to fix
2. You can get Clarity when Confused
Our mind has millions of thoughts running altogether, we are constantly thinking, and it can be very cluttered.
When you are thinking about making a decision, there are many thoughts that would run through your head.
It gets seriously difficult to make a decision, and you feel confused about what to do.
This is when Journaling can be extremely helpful!
From small to big confusion. Journaling all your thoughts and practicing prompts that tackle that problem can help you get clarity
When I used to feel lost back in school. Starting journaling as a hobby and spending a few minutes every day practicing journal prompts related to feeling lost
helped me find what I like and get clarity on my purpose! It is so Magical!
Writing down on paper will make your thoughts more clear and easy for your mind to understand than thinking in your head alone.
And so, you will feel less confused about what to do and will figure out a way for yourself.
You just have to take your journal and start writing down
3. You can Upgrade your writing Skills
When thinking hobby, apart from doing it for fun and as a means to enjoy life. We definitely think about skills too! Don’t we?
Clearly, writing and communication are important skills we all need to have, whether we are a writer or not.
It is a basic form of communication, and if you have been thinking of improving your communication and writing, in a fun and relaxing way
As journaling requires you to write a lot and express yourself as you are talking to someone
Journaling can be a good hobby to upgrade your writing skills!
4. It Can Boost your Mental Health
When feeling down or going through many severe problems like anxiety and depression
Journaling has been proven to help them and improve their mental health!
Expressing your feeling is the first to feeling better and lighter mentally!
Journaling has also been proven to reduce stress.
If you are going through a rough or challenging time mentally and wondering, to add a hobby into your life
Journaling hands down is the best way to go!
We don’t always have someone by our side to vent to and share what we feel.
Sometimes we don’t share with others because we feel ashamed or want to protect our privacy.
Keeping our feeling and what we are going through to ourselves can further worsen our mental health.
In that situation, Journaling can be a beautiful and life-changing way to vent out, share our feeling, and feel better
5. You can Connect with your inner self
Journaling enables your door to dive into your inner being. Just like any relationship
Our relationship with ourselves is equal, or say more important.
The idea of a hobby is to strengthen our relationship with ourselves, isn’t it?
Journaling can help you dive into
Self-discovery: Learning about who you are, what you truly like, your identity
My first experience with journaling was writing about things that I am good at, what I like, and listing favorites.
Such simple and general question, and
yet I could not answer one properly
It hit me then, that I never took the time to learn about myself and discover who I truly am!
Self-reflections: Through Journaling, you can actually reflect on yourself and life. It gives you an opportunity to look at your life for a moment that we often forget.
From our mind, body, and heart, to our careers and relationships. We can reflect on everything.
Self-care: Journaling is a form of self-care activity that enables you to take care of your mental health and relax
If you were looking for a self-care activity to do by yourself then journaling is the way to go!
Self-love: Through journaling, you deeply bond and connect with yourself that deepening your love for yourself
Even for me, When I started my self-love journey. Journaling played a huge role. it helped me take note of my mindset and negative self-talk
By journaling affirmations every day, I was able to love and accept myself more and let go of my insecurities!
Self-development: Journaling can help you in your self-growth journey and becoming a better version of yourself
Take note of your habits and become aware of things you need to let go of and things you need to add to your life.
6. It can Boost your Creativity
If you are a creative person or in a creative field, journaling can be your best friend.
The free writing concept of journaling truly enables one’s creativity and explore different areas of life.
You have seen writers who love to write are usually so creative and are found in almost all creative fields.
From writing books, tv shows, movies, and concept
Journaling is the easiest way to open doors of creativity in your life! Your mind may come up with ideas and thoughts that are unique or rare.
The best part is that you can journal as a hobby, and it helps your creativity naturally with time!
7. You feel calm and joy
The main reason why journaling has gotten popular for mental health and as a hobby is that it helps humans feel calm and joyful!
When stressed, the therapist recommends journaling to relieve your stress and feel calm! I have also shared journaling prompts that one can practice to manage stress! Read here
To know if you find journaling calming and fun, you first need to give it a couple of tries. Once you have tried various ways to journal
You will know if your journaling is your thing, or not, and then you can decide whether to continue as a hobby or not.
Whenever I am stuck with overwhelming feelings and don’t know what to do about it
I just take a pen and notebook or open my notes app on my iPhone and start journaling about how I feel, why I feel it, and what I can do
It helps me feel so much better! Trust me!
8. It’s Inexpensive
There are so many hobbies out there, and we all know, most of them cost a lot! There are not free and definitely require you to spend a hefty amount every month.
The good thing about journaling is that it hardly costs anything! I love how inexpensive it is
All you need is a pen and an empty notebook which costs not more than $50 and lasts you for months depending on its thickness and how much your journal is.
Of course, if you want to be a little fancy, and invest in a journal. there are plenty of high-quality options in the market
But overall, Journaling is one cost-effective hobby!
9. It Brings a Broader Perspective to life
One thing I loved and realized when I started journaling is its ability to open new perspectives of life we never thought of
While growing up, we are always told to follow rules and what is right or wrong.
Journaling enables us to question, rethink and look beyond what we are taught till now.
And this beautiful thing, only journaling can help you do with ease.
By writing, you will find it easy and clear to write and think about different perspectives of life, which our stagnant mind would not normally
So these were, my 9 reasons Why I think journaling is a good hobby!
Is journaling every day OK?
Yes, journaling every day is Great in fact! There is no such thing as too much or too less journaling.
You can journal every, whether it is for 5 minutes or an hour. It will only help you.
You can journal your feelings, and your thoughts, practice prompts, or write affirmations, and you will have new things to journal every day!
Is journaling a good habit?
Yes, journaling is a Great habit that everyone swears by. This one good habit of journaling when I was young
Helped me become aware, increase self-love, improve my mental health, and so much more
That’s all! If you want to check out my posts on Journaling, I share them below.
- 17 tips on How to stay consistent with journaling every day
- 7 reasons you find Journaling boring + How to fix
- Best 21 Day Journaling Challenge for 2023 to start journaling
Liked this Post? Pin it for Later
Follow me On Pinterest
