Journaling is widely revered by psychologists as a valuable tool for dealing with stress, promoting self -esteem, expressing gratitude and much more.  But did you know that journal writing can also be an invaluable practice for improving your learning capabilities and understanding of certain subjects? Writing in a journal can be done in a myriad of ways and formats. Journals may be used to record personal thoughts, daily experiences and evolving insights. It can also evoke conversations with others, with yourself or with imaginary people. Journals may be written in a number of format. You could write a journal for learning, to document reflections, feelings, personal opinions, and even hopes or fears during an educational experience. You could also maintain a personal or professional diary, autobiography or memory, dream journal or interactive reading log to reflect on what you are reading.  

Whatever format you use and for whatever purpose, journaling can also provide enormous benefits.

It contributes to your personal growth and development
By providing a platform to focus on your own thoughts and feelings, journaling can help with integrating your life goals with your learning goals, expressing yourself freely outside of the classroom, stimulating mental development and consolidating your needs for further study or research. It is essentially an investment in yourself.

Helps hone your Intuition and Express Yourself
Journaling has an important role to play in enhancing your discovery of self. It can help you to rely more on your intuition and give you self confidence that will carry over into the classroom, allowing you to tackle new topics without fear and integrate new knowledge into your personal life.

Help solve problems
Journaling can be vitally important in the solution of difficult problems. Using personal insights to find your way through a problem can be extremely rewarding. Often an epiphany will emerge that might not have been possible with some other problem solving technique.

Reduce Stress and Benefit Your Health
There is considerable evidence that journaling can improve various aspects of both your physical and mental health. It is an oft used methodology by psychologists in helping patients recover from traumatic experiences, but it is useful in everyday life for releasing pent up emotions or frustrations and reducing every day stress.

Improve Critical Thinking
Journaling can also be a valuable tool for improving your ability to reflect critically on what you have learnt. It also allows you to clarify your professional values, find meaning in what you are learning and form a sense of  “wholeness” as a professional.

Improve Your Writing and Overcome Writing Blocks
Journaling can improve your writing skills and help break down writing blocks, which is critical when you’re stuck on that assignment, or just can’t quite get to the heart of that essay. It does this by allowing you to freely write without inhibition or constraints applied by the rules of formal academic writing.  It can also improve self-expression which will help you to articulate concepts and frame your ideas with greater clarity .

While journaling can seem like a chore and “one more thing” to do in addition to your already full work and study load, the benefits are clear and , you never know, you may even find you enjoy it! We’ve got a great range of journals in store,so get journaling.