Keeping a Journal

The summer before I started college I heard a presentation on the importance of keeping a journal. Most of the time when people talk about keeping a journal they say it is for posterity. My mother writes in a journal and she has actually no intention of people reading her journals. They are private and she uses it as a release. I feel the same way. I have written daily in a journal since the summer I started college. There are some things I have written about that I don't necessarily want people to read. Everyone has dark times in their life that it would be better if other people didn't know.

So why am I recommending people write in a journal if it isn't for posterity? It makes you think about emotional situations. It is a way to keep track of important dates. People may ask you about how you felt at times, or you may want to remember, this is the way to do it. You may not want people to read your journals, but there may be a time when you want to share experiences from your life and if you don't have them written down you are likely to forget and the journal is something you can reference. The other reason is I believe it is the best way to overcome writer's block. If you have ever tried to write in a journal every day you soon release that life is mundane and repetitive. If you know you are writing that evening you look for something during the day.