A diary is a way of expressing one’s thoughts, which helps to convey the events in one’s life, give them an emotional coloring, analyze them and draw conclusions. Some psychologists suggest keeping a diary by hand, which is not important in the digital era, as long as it is convenient for you.
You don’t necessarily have to make notes every day, but it is advisable to write down there all the important events, victories and defeats, experiences and joys, even the insignificant ones. Keeping a diary is at once a confession, a psychotherapy session, and planning.
What Is a Personal Diary Used For?
Memory Games. Memory itself is very interesting. One experiences some events and it seems to him/her that he/she remembers them well. But as time goes by, the picture gets cloudy and the brain fills in the blanks in its own way. And that’s where the diary will be a great reminder of the old days.
Dump for Negative Emotions. There is a useful psychological technique. You need to write down all the things that make you angry, upset, ruin your mood, and prevent you from moving forward. And then tear it up, crumple it, throw it away, burn it, or destroy it in any other way. This is how a person is freed from negative emotions. A diary has practically the same function, the only difference being that one should not destroy it. More often than not, releasing one’s emotions on paper, even electronically, brings relief.
Getting to Know Yourself. People sometimes don’t fully know themselves. You can be yourself in the pages of your diary – weak, nasty, angry, cynical. The more honest, the better. The things you write might frighten you. But it is necessary to do this by all means, because this is the only way to see your shortcomings and correct them. Praise yourself is also necessary. It helps to know the hidden abilities.
Self-Psychologist. Psychologists are used to deal with problems of their own. But a psychologist never gives answers, but helps one to ask oneself the right questions and answer them independently. The diary does the same thing, the only difference is that the person himself acts as a psychologist.
Goal Achiever. It’s especially helpful to set goals for a year or a month. For example, on December 31, you can make a list of goals for 365 days. But if a person has a lack of discipline, it’s better to start with goals for a month or even a week, so it’ll be better to see what is constantly put off. At the end of this period of time, you should analyze what has already been done, what it has led to, and thank yourself for the process.
No More Stepping on a Rake. Not everyone is capable of learning from mistakes. But making a personal diary will make it a lot easier. In life, events repeat themselves. Perhaps this is the Universe’s way of checking whether a person has learned a lesson in the past, and what he/she will do now.
Future Memoirs. It doesn’t matter at all whether the notes will become public or remain a secret forever. The diary writing will help you learn a way to structure your thoughts, to formulate them correctly. This requires periodic rereading of the diary, you can even make editorial changes to it, but most importantly, do not change the essence of what you have written, because the value of thoughts is in their relevance at the time of writing.
Back to the Past. There is sometimes a great pleasure in plunging into memories and reading old writings with a smile. You may be surprised to notice a dramatic change in your personality, just to feel nostalgic, to re-experience the emotions that you experienced in the past.
Your diary can become a helper, a friend, a psychologist. This is a secret door to the world of the subconscious. It is necessary to keep it consciously, only in this case it will be useful.
