Importance Of A Diary

[Laputan Machine]

 About a month ago i decided that I needed a diary. Got myself a lil' notepad with a couple of pages and decided that it'll be good enough for a diary and, surprisingly, it was a very good idea. I was only a starting diary-ist, diare... Diarrheaist. Whatever. It was my first time writing in a diary and so, I had little experience in actually writing about myself for myself so what I did is I wrote very brief and to the point sentences, often outright ignoring grammar so as to make everything fit inside a notebook that was smaller than my palm. Reason why it was a good idea is that I was able to sorta distill the thought or emotion to a level where it was just that and no external parts, which is a very useful thing to have if you're trying to structure a diary like I did. What I did is make every sentence a sort of snapshot of whatever was brewing inside of me. Helps with self-expression, that.
 After I was done with that notepad I moved on to a notebook which, obviously, can hold much more sentences and information. My briefness found the size of the pages quite pleasing, now I could fill a whole page worth of important thoughts and feelings! It was excellent. Today I decided to scroll through my notepad and I realized just how true the idea of every page being a snapshot of your state of mind is. I didn't remember, I experienced the feelings and the reasons why I wrote each and every sentence. It was a much stronger sensation than when you look at a photo of yourself or a place you've been to. That was a fairly interesting feeling that I decided to write in my diary about and then thought about making a topic on the forum.
 Everything I just said might seem obvious to y'all and I might even look like a caveman that just discovered the TV but I want to ask those of you that do write diaries, how has it, if at all, affected your journey to enlightenment? Replace enlightenment with whatever goal you have in mind, if you wish : ^ )

[starsofclay]

I only started writing in a diary a month or two ago. I'm not too interested in enlightenment right now, but use it more for self-discipline and self-discovery. It's like meditating, with words! haha. (I know, I know, there is no self... or whatever...)  I have spent the majority of my life repressing emotions and trauma, and once I started writing I couldn't believe I had waited this long. I have more energy now. I'm happier. I deal with stressful moments better. And this is coming from someone who still hasn't learned to meditate properly, so in my opinion it is a very good practice to have.