{"id":4222,"date":"2025-06-25T10:01:06","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T09:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/?p=4222"},"modified":"2025-06-26T08:26:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T07:26:08","slug":"5-reasons-to-take-up-journalling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/2025\/06\/25\/5-reasons-to-take-up-journalling\/","title":{"rendered":"5 reasons to start journalling"},"content":{"rendered":"

Teesside University student Chiedozie Young shares the benefits of journalling and <\/span><\/strong>how it has positively impacted his life, using some of <\/span><\/strong>his own original illustrations. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Self-portraitGuest blog: Chiedozie Young<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Chiedozie is a 2D Animation\/Stop Motion student at Teesside University. You can follow more of his work at <\/span>@chiyoungart<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

You may have heard a lot about journalling from friends, <\/span>family, or even social media, but could be hesitant to try it for <\/span>yourself. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Maybe you think you\u2019re just not a good enough <\/span>writer, or you simply don\u2019t see the point.<\/span><\/p>\n

Though journalling isn\u2019t for <\/span>everyone, you could be missing out on the benefits of writing your feelings down if you feel <\/span>discouraged from even starting. <\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been keeping my own <\/span>journal for the past few years and wanted to share some of the <\/span>reasons it\u2019s been so helpful for me. Hopefully, it\u2019ll encourage you to give it a try.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Illustration<\/p>\n

1. It\u2019s a safe space<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Most people who journal don\u2019t like to share what they\u2019ve <\/span>written with anyone else, and for good reason. <\/span><\/p>\n

A journal<\/span> is one place you\u2019re totally free to express your <\/span>innermost thoughts, however personal, weird, troubling, embarrassing <\/span>or nonsensical. <\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no judgement in a journal, so you don\u2019t have to hide <\/span>anything here.<\/span>\u00a0It\u2019s a very liberating feeling.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Illustration<\/p>\n

2. It\u2019s cathartic<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Journalling can be a powerful tool for coping with stressful life <\/span>events. <\/span><\/p>\n

It is well known that simply talking about negative <\/span>feelings can make you feel better afterwards, and this applies <\/span>to writing them down too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe you\u2019re feeling really anxious <\/span>about an upcoming exam <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>taking the time to write down what <\/span>exactly is making you anxious about it, and why, can help you <\/span>see things more clearly. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s similar to venting to a trusted <\/span>friend (though not a replacement for it).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Illustration<\/p>\n

3. You learn a lot about yourself<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

As you continue to write about yourself and your experiences, <\/span>you start to learn more about who you are. <\/span><\/p>\n

You begin to <\/span>notice patterns in your behaviour, emotions you could be <\/span>bottling up, how much you\u2019ve grown in certain areas, and <\/span>much more. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is really valuable insight to have as you <\/span>navigate your life, because it can help you make better <\/span>decisions and address issues within yourself that may be <\/span>holding you back.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Illustration<\/p>\n

4. It\u2019s a record of your life<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

For me, a journal paints a much more vivid and sincere picture of your <\/span>life than a photo album ever could. <\/span><\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t just document <\/span>an event itself, but how you processed it. You could relive the <\/span>memory of moving into a new city in so much detail <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>how <\/span>nervous or excited it made you, how you felt about your new <\/span>neighbours <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>and it\u2019s all 100% authentic. <\/span><\/p>\n

Some people even <\/span>pass down their old journals to their children to aid them in <\/span>their own journeys.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Illustration<\/p>\n

5. It\u2019s not just writing<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The best thing about keeping a journal is that you decide how <\/span>you do it.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re someone who doesn\u2019t really enjoy writing, <\/span>you\u2019re free to write as little in it as you want. Many of my own <\/span>entries have just been one sentence or a set of bullet points.<\/span><\/p>\n

But more than that, there are lots of other ways you could <\/span>journal. <\/span><\/p>\n

You could record a voice note, take photos or videos, <\/span>do some sketches \u2013 anything that helps you process your <\/span>emotions. The more enjoyable your approach, the more likely <\/span>you are to stick with it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Journalling on its own may not solve your problems, but it <\/span>can be a really handy tool to have as you go through life\u2019s <\/span>many phases. <\/span><\/p>\n

Try not to feel too intimidated by it if you\u2019re just <\/span>starting out. Your first entry doesn\u2019t have to be a lengthy <\/span>paragraph, and you can be as casual or consistent with it as <\/span>you need to be. <\/span><\/p>\n

But most of all, it should never feel like a <\/span>chore. Journalling is done to alleviate stress, not add to it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Teesside University supports positive mental wellbeing through its Great Minds<\/a> campaign. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Students can access a wide range of mental health support services throughout their journeys, including a 24\/7 helpline<\/a> which connects to a qualified counsellor.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Appointments<\/a> with our advisers in the Student Life team are also available.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Teesside University student Chiedozie Young shares the benefits of journalling and how it has positively impacted his life, using some of his own original illustrations. Guest blog: Chiedozie Young Chiedozie is a 2D Animation\/Stop Motion student at Teesside University. You can follow more of his work at @chiyoungart. You may have heard a lot about … Continue reading “5 reasons to start journalling”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25094,"featured_media":4243,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[248,247,102,12],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2025\/06\/IMG_3652.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4222"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25094"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4222"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4264,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4222\/revisions\/4264"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}