Keeping a journal.

Long before the advent of digital age and its accompanying boons and banes, people used to keep journals. Everyone kept personal diaries where they documented their life stories, solved their problems, and shared their most intimate secrets. This is no longer the case. Although keeping a personal blog is still in vogue, barely anyone keeps a personal journal anymore. Journals are different from blogs. Anyone can read your blog, but only you can read your personal journal.

Your journal is a window to your soul: Keeping a journal can be a way of giving your feelings an outlet like no other, a place where your deepest thoughts can reside without fear of judgement, blame, or need of justification. A Journal will allow you to be just who you are, and are a place where you can travel through life's emotions with gentleness, compassion, and deeper understanding.

Write a journal to  help you remember the special moments in your life you never want to forget - the people you've loved; the ones who loved you. The friends you've made; the countries you've visited; the places that have become home and the best and worst days of your life. Record your achievements, little victories and epiphanies ... Make a note of favourite books, films, music people...Write down your ambitions ... Your secret loves, hopes and dreams.

Every day, week, month, year, you can write about what's important in your life and add photos and memorabilia: a theatre ticket, a love letter, a postcard, newspaper clippings, a pressed flower, anything that will remind you of some small moment of pleasure. A journal is not just for recording your daily happenings; fill the neatly lined pages with inspirational messages to yourself, of goals and aspirations, reflections, prayers, poems, quotations, any words that have touched you, treasure them. Its a real manifestation of your mind so make it completely yours.

Your journal is a reflection of your dreams and what you are thinking about yourself and your relationship with life. It will give you many useful insights. I believe there is a healing power in creative expression, and especially in the power of writing. Journaling is cathartic, and allows you to have a safe place to explore your own emotions and feelings, and it has an incredible way of helping you connect with your inner self.

As we go about our daily lives we accumulate brain clutter. Stress and anxiety grow as more and more clutter is kept in our minds. Quite frankly, our minds are cluttered today beyond recognition. It comes as no surprise that so many people snap at the drop of a hat. Getting words down on paper can help clear your head of thoughts and ideas that are creating a mental swirl of confusion, allowing you clarity of vision.

Keeping a journal improves your memory - and most definitely helps you pour your heart out – A journal soaks up your anger, your rage, your vengeance, your jealousy, a whole plethora of negative emotions and doesn't judge you, doesn't shout back at you, and doesn't tell you to get a life. It sits there passive in one way but very revealing in another. Getting negative feelings off your chest and into a journal can liberate you from having to vent the feelings anywhere else, and can give you necessary breathing space.

Remember, your journal is that trusted friend that you can share your innermost intimate sentiments with, so keep your journal safe. No one will see this journal but you, and you have to make sure of that too. You'll only feel free to truly express yourself if the journal cannot compromise your relationships with others or how you're viewed, so be sure to find safe places to keep your most precious thoughts.  It's your journal so tell it like it is. Don't worry about being any particular way (kind, mean, sweet, evil, happy, sad, etc). Focus on what it is that you need to say, and say it. As a human being, chances are you lead a complex life: Express it!