Showing posts with label diary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diary. Show all posts

Friday, March 9, 2012

10 Benefits of Writing Diary/Journal


Diary writing


According to Maud Purcell, the University of Texas at Austin psychologist and researcher James Pennebaker contends that regular journaling strengthens immune cells, called T-lymphocytes. Other research indicates that journaling decreases the symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. Pennebaker believes that writing about stressful events helps you come to terms with them, thus reducing the impact of these stressors on your physical health.

It is good to know that journaling has health benefits, but I have found the following ten reasons to write every day: 

1.       Develop the habit of daily writing: Writing is a good habit to cultivate. What you have written is always there. Your thoughts as they come into your mind are permanently captured in writing. You can always review your inner world from time to time.

2.       Improve your writing:   When you write every day you will improve your writing skills. It is the habit of daily writing that you will be able to write more effectively.    

3.       Record milestones in your life: it is also the best place to record your triumphs and achievements as they happen. You will be able to write more vividly with your feelings and emotions.

4.       Record setbacks and defeats: Is it an excellent outlet to vent your anger and disappointment. By recording your unhappiness, you will release tension and stress and bring your life back to balance.

5.        Hope and expectation: It is a good place to pen your dreams and aspirations. Dreams are the starting point to achieve your ambition in life. Write down what you want in life and take action to go after them. Daily writing is a kind of reinforcement to go after your dreams   

6.       As a personal reminder: Every time before  I embark on a long journey I will always remind myself in the diary that I have to drive with care and all I want is a safe trip all the way. It creates a good feeling and alertness in me while I am on the road. 

7.       Monthly review: On the last day of every month I will take stock of my life. I will review my health, personal finance, career, relationships, and blogging activities.


8.       Forward planning: It is also on the last day of every month that l set my goals so that I can focus on the important issues and check my performance at the end of the month.  

9.       Learn valuable lessons from your past: You may be able to review my past but do not dwell on it. Do not let the misfortune in the past hold you back. You move forward bravely and do what is right.

10.   Record your thankfulness: Yes, a gratitude journal is a more popular term. Whatever the name, it is the place to express your appreciation and gratefulness on a daily basis. When you know you are blessed and living in abundance, you can go to bed with contentment and peace of mind.     

Are you writing every day? How does it benefit you?

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Saturday, January 7, 2012

What Is the Difference Between a Journal and a Diary?

Diary/journal


According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, a journal is a written record of the things you do, see, etc every day. Diary is a book in which you can write the experiences you have each day, your private thoughts, etc.  Both words come from the same Latin word dies ‘day’.


I have been writing a diary ever since I was young. At the end of each year, I will go to Popular Book Store and buy one. It is written on the cover 我的日记 (wo de ri ji – My Dairy). I write about the happenings of the day plus my personal thoughts and feelings on things that affect me.

I do not see any differences between the two:

1.       A daily record: Both are personal records of events for a single day. You write about things that have happened to you and around you which have created an impact in your life. 

2.       Written in the evening: I write my daily in the evening before I go to bed. It is the best time to recall and review the events for the whole day until bedtime. Even when you are writing a gratitude journal, the evening is still the best time of the day. 

3.       No rule to what you should write: You write freely, nobody ever tells you what you should write. You write from your heart. It is an effective way to offload your grievances in writing. You feel so much better about what you have written.  

4.       Both can be shared or private:  Personal thoughts and secrets are for your own consumption only. Nobody can stop you if you want to share your inner world. It is up to you.

5.        The only difference: Journal is a more popular word. I prefer the diary. Perhaps I get used to it for a long time.

   What are your thoughts about these two words?
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