2016-05-12

Throw traditional out the window, as we keep moving forward and deeper into technology. Gadgets, phones, smart appliances and applications for just about anything are readily available. Journaling will never go away--it is a foundation to many of our lives. With today’s technology journaling is not limited while we cozy up in bed with pen and paper. It can be available through whenever you need to share or write down thoughts, and forebodings through email-to-journal, mobile phones, and across all devices thanks to technology.

We won’t have to miss our “writing time" anymore. If we’re honest, we don’t have time to just journal after a long day, and we forget to record our spiritual yearnings, and rants. People are tired and overworked, and technology is a path we can take to continue the art of jotting down our thoughts, and keeps creativity flowing. We can archive our journals, and publish them to pass down to loved ones.

It is through this process we can build our faith, find strength, clarity of thought, dream again, and reconnect spiritually to a higher power other than ourselves. Humans have been communicating for years painting pictures on cave walls to tell stories, or to share their thoughts. Man has expressed his thoughts on clay tablets, and communicated in many forms before the invention of pen and paper—and of course the internet.

The Sumerians used tablets for bookkeeping by etching symbols into clay tablets, tokens, and drawing pictograms. It showed properties, boundaries, animals, and the amount of supplies they had.

People have been journaling and writing diaries for years. Some have been found dating back to 10th Century Japan. Presidents, poets, and famous scholars have been putting their adventures on paper for years. Putting down our thoughts is nothing new as we learned-- it just has advanced through other mediums.

Once it was clay tablets, now, we have applications to share our faith, and to express our deepest personal thoughts without time constraints.

But it is more than a spiritual journey. Journaling has other benefits as well.

There are health benefits Psych Central shared. “Scientific evidence supports that journaling provides other unexpected benefits. The act of writing accesses your left brain, which is analytical and rational. While your left brain is occupied, your right brain is free to create, intuit and feel. In sum, writing removes mental blocks and allows you to use all of your brainpower.”

Also writing down our feelings is a great way to vent, and let go of anger in a healthy way. It builds emotional intelligence, helps with self-discipline, and can help our communication skills. Writing can be cathartic, and is pretty powerful overall. If you are new to it, take your time. It just takes consistency, but it is worth it.

The University of Rochester Medical Center found journaling should be part of everyone’s life.

“Keeping a journal helps you establish order when your world feels like it’s in chaos. It helps you get to know yourself by revealing your innermost fears, thoughts, and feelings. Look at your writing time as personal relaxation time, a time when you de-stress and wind down. Write in a place that's relaxing and soothing—maybe with a lit candle and a cup of tea. Look forward to your journaling time, and know that you're doing something good for your mind and body.” 

Explore JRNL to help you with the process, and get your spiritual journey started. You can also have the option to publish your writings. Regardless, explore the benefits of journaling today.

more from beliefnet and our partners
Close Ad