Clear your mind with journaling — Tip #31
A simple habit with powerful benefits ✍️
It’s been ~11 years that I have been living abroad. In some cities I have been able to build a thriving community of people: friends, acquaintances, business partners and in general people I know; in others less so (🥲).
Some folks are fascinated by the prospect of endless travel and, don’t get me wrong, it’s pretty amazing to experience different cultures, people, places, food, etc. At the same time, it’s often a lonely journey. Unless you’re really on vacation and keeping busy all the time (which I don’t recommend for other reasons), there are frequent moments when you are alone with yourself and your thoughts.
We already talked about the benefits of a brain dump when planning to get clarity 👇
Today I’d like to focus on one of the most important tools we have available when it comes to thinking about our lives and making sure we are steering in the direction we want: journaling.
I started journaling in Dubai in 2020 as a way to better understand myself during a very stressful period in my life. Since then, I have kept this practice. I am not obsessed with it, so I no longer do daily rituals, but I try to journal at least once per week.
When I journal daily, I’ll admit I feel better overall, but weekly is the balance I found before I start seeing negative consequences from not doing it.
So how do you journal?
📜 Take a damn piece of paper
🖊️ Take a damn pen
✍️ Write
Yep, it’s as simple as that! In a world that tends to overcomplicate everything, this can stay simple. You are not aiming for anything: get your thoughts out instead of letting them fight and rot in your brain. Some people prefer to journal about emotions, others about things they should get done, and others a mix of everything. You do you!
Some folks, me included, may have a hard time starting with a blank sheet of paper. In that case, you may want to consider having a few prompts to get you started. These are some of mine:
What would I like to accomplish today that would make it a success?
How do I feel? Is there any emotion I’d like to inspect?
What did I learn this week?
What are three people or things I am grateful for?
If you are not intuitively convinced of its benefits, and mind you, I was skeptical too, here are the main ones:
🌱 Clarity of thought: Helps you manage racing thoughts and organize what’s on your mind, making them feel more manageable.
🧠 Emotional release: Gives you a private space to process feelings, reducing mental buildup and helping you feel lighter. I found this especially effective before heading to bed.
✨ Self-awareness: Reveals patterns, triggers, and habits you might not notice in the moment,deepening your understanding of yourself and helping you grow.
🎯 Better focus: Clears mental clutter so you can prioritize what matters and approach the day with more intention.
As a final note, since I know a couple of people will ask me: I do use a digital note-taking app (Obsidian) for daily journaling when I do it, but I keep my weekly journaling pen and paper. There is something about connecting your brain to the gesture of writing with a pen. The page you physically write on becomes an act of material creation that typing on a keyboard doesn’t provide. I’ve monitored this and concluded, at least for myself, that journaling with pen and paper is superior to its digital equivalent.
Your weekly tip: Build an habit of journaling. It will help you get clarity, process your emotions and become a more aware and better version of yourself 🧘.
Don’t forget to share this tip with a friend who may need to slow down in their life 🫰
See you next week, until then…
Don’t Panic 😱