We live in a time in which technology has completely taken over most aspects of our lives. Sadly, there are very few opportunities for people to actually sit down and write their thoughts on a piece of paper.
For those of us who have very little free time, even typing our thoughts on the notepad in our phones could help us make a difference in our everyday lives and change the way we see things. From my college days, I recognize that reminding myself of certain goals and things I wish to avoid can help me improve myself in the long run.
Back then, I had no concrete plans about my future, and while I had many interests, I didn’t know what I would be able to pursue professionally. Writing down my thoughts allowed me to familiarize myself with writing and helped me make plans for each week, month and year, without feeling pressure to immediately achieve those goals.
5 reasons to write down your thoughts
It’ll help you become more creative
The very first thing that writing down your thoughts will help you with is finding a new way to be creative. Whether you enjoy the arts or not, expressing your own thoughts without a filter will give you the opportunity to be more creative.
Whether this turns into a newfound love for writing, or it simply allows you to think freely and feel comfortable with your thoughts for a few minutes of your day, it is definitely worth exploring what writing for a few minutes each day can help you achieve.
It’ll help you make plans
Making plans and daydreaming is something that most young people are great at, but they don’t manage to give their plans life until they become much older and more responsible. Writing down your plans for the future can help you put them in the right order, and then you can decide which are short-term and which ones you’ll need more time to complete.
While your plans might change, a piece of paper that reminds you where you started and how much further you intend to go can encourage you to continue working hard. Finding new ideas and writing them down along the way can help you shape your future in a way that will make you happy.
It’ll help you solve problems
One of the things I strongly believe is that most of the time, we can be our own best counsellor. The next time you find yourself in a situation where you need a second opinion on a certain issue, but you can’t easily speak about it to anyone, grab a piece of paper and write it down.
On one side of your paper, write down the possible solutions, and on the other side, write down the possible outcomes of each solution. By seeing everything laid out in front of you, you will find it a lot easier to objectively reach a conclusion that will be the right solution to your issue.
It’ll teach you to think before you speak
A common problem that many people encounter in their everyday lives is saying things they don’t mean, simply because they don’t have the time to process them before letting them leave their mouths. Both younger and older people find it difficult to process their emotions before they say something they may later regret.
Writing down what is on your mind, and how you feel, can help in situations where you might be overrun by emotions but still have to keep your cool. Seeing your thoughts written down without a filter can help you realize how important it is to think before you say anything.
It’ll allow you to face your fears
Sometimes, it’s hard to come face-to-face with situations that worry or upset us. Whether it is an upcoming exam, a date you cannot avoid or the loss of a loved one, finding a way to physically express your emotions—which will allow you to process them—may be the only way for you to overcome them.
Writing down your fears momentarily gives them life and makes each one real, instead of something that is only in your head. As scary as this might seem, it could also be a good way for you to combat your fears, as you’ll see them as simple, erasable words on a piece of paper that you can easily throw away.
Sometimes, a piece of paper is all you need to put your thoughts in order. Maybe you don’t have an available therapist, or it’s late at night and you need to let out your thoughts. Either way, writing them down is the best way for you to think from a different perspective and distance yourself from your own ideas. This will help you process them more objectively.
«RELATED READ» FOR MY EYES ONLY: The challenges of writing meaningfully in a diary or journal»
image 1 Pixabay
