7 Surprising Benefits and Value of Journaling

Taking back some personal expression and reclaiming it for yourself.

words Revathie Dhanabalan

Technology has become so prevalent in our lives especially during this COVID-19 pandemic. It is almost impossible to get anything done without the help of a computer. When I was a kid, my mum encouraged me to keep diaries, a habit I had long forgotten about when I reached teenagehood. Taking time for myself to write became such an obsolete task. It was a personal task where I didn’t have to justify myself to anyone.

In an age where knowledge is just available at our fingertips, it is easy to forget how much wisdom we hold within ourselves. And all it takes is a thick spiral-bound notebook (a personal favourite) so I did exactly that. Got myself down to kikki.K and started by writing my to-do list and that led to me writing my small thoughts, which then led to a proper piece. I was amazed at how smoothly the writing came.

There are plenty of benefits of writing by hand and it’s such a simple art form that serves such a great purpose. This became a powerful and effective tool that brought me so much comfort during a tumultuous period. Here are some of the benefits I’ve discovered while starting an old (good) habit.

Handwriting Benefit #1: Boosts Your Creativity

Writing by hand helps you think outside the box. It pushes you out of your daily routine and gives your mind free rein to breathe and express itself. We tend to overplay the same worries and consciousness over and over again in our minds. But one thing I’ve noticed is that when I was writing, I don't write down those same thoughts over and over again (unless of course on purpose).

In this way, writing by hand pushes your mind forward towards new observations and conclusions. It forced me to slow down and fish out those shiny pebbles of insight. Almost like you are curating your thoughts. You are simply able to express much more ideas while writing by hand than those writing on a keyboard.

Handwriting Benefit #2: Increases Learning Comprehension

Taking notes on a laptop may be a lot faster — but research proves that those who take notes by hand actually allow you to remember more of the information than those who don't. One study found that students who took notes by hand had a greater understanding of a lesson than those who took notes on a computer — even though they were able to type out more information. I started by taking down notes when I attended an online class instead of typing everything out. At the end of the class, I had even included pointers of my own that I would not have noted before. In my case, it restarted my creative process (in a way) and improved my writing skills.

Handwriting Benefit #3: Fully Engages Your Brain

Writing requires that you use more of your motor skills, and a collection of links around your brain called the “reading circuit". Writing on paper takes effort and it slows you down to consider every word and phrase more carefully. This activates more parts of our brain than typing ever could. Writing by hand also forces you to see a train of thought out toward its conclusion. I’ve noticed that when I form letters on paper, I’m able to concentrate better and I (aka my brain) consider carefully what’s written.

Handwriting Benefit #4: Calms The Body And Nerves

Writing can actually calm your brain down, which made it a perfect winding-down activity at night for me. Sometimes even during the middle of the day when I feel that I am overwhelmed with tasks. According to graphologist and handwriting expert Dr. Marc Seifer, “jotting down a sentence like, 'I will be more peaceful' at least 20 times per day can actually have an impact, especially on those with attention deficit disorder”. Something as simple as those few words - “I will be more peaceful” - is also a perfect and easy way to practice mindfulness when you need it the most.

Such a simple task also kept me more focused, which naturally un-frazzled my brain from distractions. Another key thing that I noticed was that I was able to slow down my thoughts and ultimately create this sense of calmness.

Handwriting Benefit #5: Slows Down Mental Ageing

Because of writing's aforementioned abilities to help you remember information, it is also a great tool for helping people retain their memory as they age. Practicing brain-flexing tasks like writing by hand keeps our minds sharp.

A 2012 study also found that duplicating shapes played an important memory role for children with developing minds — so all ages benefit from it. An aspect that I am starting to realise is very important as I get older and memory becomes another thing I need to add to that worry list.

Handwriting Benefit #6: Stimulates The Brain

We use different sides of our brain on a daily basis, either for Maths or Arts. But writing by hand, especially in cursive, actually taps into both sides of our brain, because of its loopy, artistic nature. This style of penmanship has shown to improve brain development in the areas of thinking, language, and working memory. How deeply we tap into each side of our brain is different for each individual, but stimulating either side with the writing is extremely beneficial for your artistic/problem-solving abilities. If you want to have some fun with this, try out these cursive letter practices.

Handwriting Benefit #7: Improves Prioritisation Skills

Finally, this became such a key benefit while I was trying to cultivate this habit of writing, If you ever sat in a meeting and pounded away at your laptop, you would have noticed how easy it is to take pages of notes. Writing by hand, however, is not as easy. So you’ll naturally pick out the main points in lectures or summarise long speeches into simple words.

This is because the sheer effort of writing by hand makes you less likely to transcribe word for word with ease like you would on a laptop. It is easier to form points and subpoints, make arrows, cross things out or highlight when you write by hand including creating your own shorthand to take notes. This became such a revolutionary benefit for me as I started to pick up writing again.

But here’s the most important part. As a human and some may attest to this - we all want to leave a mark in this world. These short messages and opinions that we scribble down to create these intimate and unique moments become everso prized as we get older. Similar to polaroids versus digital photos. This is what makes you, you. So why not give this a try this month?