Why I Started Daily Journaling

Two years ago, I was struggling with depression and anxiety. It was crippling my life. I was always tired, and I was either oversleeping or waking up in a panicked sweat in the middle of the night. 

I lacked the motivation to do anything productive. My sleep was inconsistent, my diet was unhealthy, and I had no fitness routine. I logged an average of 5 hours of screen time on my phone and spent an additional couple of hours on Netflix and Youtube.

I remember it being such a daunting task when you're at your lowest low. It's like sitting at the bottom of a deep, dark well. And you see the light above you. You can see the way out. But to get out, you have to scale the entire wall. You have to overcome all these problems in your life. You have to fix sleep problems; you have to improve your diet, start working out, cut your screen time, read more, write more, and be more productive. You need to start meditating, doing yoga, start a diet, on and on.

There was no single path to climb my way out of this deep, dark well. To get out, I had to fix everything. But how do you fix everything at the same time? 

Every time I tried to get out, I was trying to overcome too much, and I would stumble and fall. I was caught in a vicious cycle of self-sabotage. Whenever I made progress in an area of my life, resistance would present itself. Resistance would highjack my self-talk, overcome my willpower, and I would fall back to the bottom of the well. 

Sure I might have fixed my diet. But what about my fitness? What about my sleep? What about reading more and writing more? You really should meditate, you know? 

So then I switch to reading more, and then my diet falls apart. Well, you're reading more, but what about fitness? You know, maybe reading is just a form of procrastination. Perhaps I should read less. Oh, by the way, you need to fix your diet again. 

It was like this for a year. And after trying to create better habits and falling short every time. It was at this point in my life I committed to keeping a daily journal. 

Journaling is not a new concept. It's an ancient practice that has spanned many millennia. Many famous historical figures kept journals.

Mark Twain, Anne Frank, John D. Rockefeller, George Patton, Ben Franklin, Leonardo DaVinci, Charles Darwin. 

Many Ancient Greek Philosophers kept journals as well. Marcus Arelius' was keeping a journal for himself during his time as Roman Emperor between 161-180AD. And look at the legacy he's left behind because of his private journal. Meditations has survived thousands of years and reads remarkably well. The problems we face today are the same problems people faced two thousand years ago.

Many of the top thought leaders today preach journaling as well. Tim Ferris, Jim Collins, Lewis Howes, Robert Rodriguez, Seth Godin, Ryan Holiday, Austin Kleon, Mathew McConaughey, Dr. Jim Loehr. 

So obviously, something is there. Journalling is a practice that has spanned multiple millennia. Every generation has top leaders who practice daily journaling, so let's see what this is all about.

As I was sitting at the bottom of this deep, dark well, with no idea how to get out, I had heard about the powers of journaling for all these people. But I had never really journaled before, let alone journaled daily. So I decided to give it a shot. It's been over two years since then, and I've continued the practice every day since. 

And now I can say I am out of the deep dark well. My sleep is better, and I'm reading daily, working out regularly, eating a healthy diet. I've cut my screen time down to 1 hour a day, and I watch less Netflix. I meditate every day, and I live a low-stress, productive life. I've overcome my depression. I'm less anxious. I'm out of the well. 

How did I do it? My journal has the answer.

Now journaling wasn't like a rope ladder coming to greet me at the bottom of this well. It was nothing like that. To get out of a rut, build better habits, and construct your ideal lifestyle, takes long hard work. And journaling provided a road map. 

When trying to climb out of the well, I would write about it. If I made progress, I would write about it. If I failed or struggled, I would write about it. And doing so provided a methodical path out of the deep, dark well. I would talk about each of my failures, my successes. If I wouldn't fight the bad days or beat myself up about it, I would journal about it. 

After a year of this, you notice patterns. You have data on your life. For me, I could see what made me fall. I could see how far up the wall I've gotten before and how I did it. I would meditate on my goals. And sure enough, after two long years, I'm out of the deep, dark well. But that doesn't mean I'm done with daily journaling. 

COVID PANDEMIC

One of the unexpected things that shook the world was this global pandemic. I can't state how grateful I am to have this daily journaling habit throughout the pandemic, especially during the quarantine. 

Journaling has played a massive role for me; it helped me make sense of everything that was going on. It was a place to explore my thoughts, my fears, my anxieties. My mental happiness would have suffered more if I didn't journal during the pandemic. 

And now I have a personal log of everything that happened in 2020. From when I first heard about the virus to when we were first locked down, I have entries where I was terrified and scared shitless. The world faced a mask shortage, a PPE shortage, a soap shortage, toilet paper shortage, and possibly a food shortage. I remember how stressful everyday tasks became. Acquiring groceries and food all of a sudden became an absolute nightmare. I work in the film industry, so shoots are now coming to a complete and sudden halt. Everything changed. 

But every day, I journaled. And somehow, I was able to navigate the pandemic. And now, reflecting on it, the pandemic offered a lot of opportunities, and I feel grateful for all the pandemic has taught me. 

I know for a fact I wouldn’t be where I am in life if it weren't for journaling. Every milestone and historical moment was logged in my journal. 

T