Almost all self-help books and experts urge people to journal as an aid to personal growth and self-discovery. There is a lot of advice about journaling; some of it good and some of it bad. In clinical studies, journaling is usually used to help people reflect, self-introspect, and change their behavior, perceptions, and cognitions. Also, journaling is viewed as a feasible method in academia to encourage students’ reflection on and articulation of their thinking and strategies for problem solving. Although some studies on the benefits of journaling have shown mixed results, and that sometimes journaling about one’s feelings, thoughts, and experiences helps, often it worsens things. Generally, journaling is likely to be harmful if it attempts to help one know themselves in isolation and beneficial if it results in behavior change and greater understanding in one’s interactions with others. Therefore, it is important to carry out research on how journaling more can influence more creativity and a positive change in behavior (Farah, 2017) . The researcher began journaling on the first page titled ‘Self-Awareness.’ This was done for the habit that the researcher wanted to develop. This format helped in developing the behavioral patterns of the researcher that needed to be changed. It was important for the researcher to observe himself before beginning the journaling process to change behavior. The researcher started by actively trying to notice the behaviors that held them back from reaching their highest potential. The researcher did this for two weeks. It was important to write the insights into the researcher’s note pad as they got them. After this it was possible to start the journaling process. From the day the researcher started journaling with the objective of changing a specific behavior, many benefits were noticed by the researcher including stress relief, self-confidence, and positive emotional effects. By focusing on the positive experiences and positively looking to change behavior, the researcher was able to improve their mood. The continuous and positive writing enabled the researcher to notice the positive changes that journaling was creating in the life of the researcher. The positivity made it easy for the researcher to be more creative and come up with new ways of doing things as it gave the researcher as chance to reflect on the changes that were needed. Scientific evidence also supports the findings that journaling leads to other unexpected results such as creativity and positive behavior change. Writing a journal accesses one’s left brain, which is rational and analytical. While one’s left brain is occupied with writing, their right brain becomes free and can create, feel and intuit.
Introduction
Almost all self-help books and experts urge people to journal as an aid to personal growth and self-discovery. There is a lot of advice about journaling; some of it good and some of it bad. In clinical studies, writing journals is usually used to help people reflect, self-introspect, and change their behavior, perceptions, and cognitions. Also, keeping journals is viewed as a feasible method in academia to encourage students’ reflection on and articulation of their thinking and strategies for solving problems. Journaling has also been shown to support people in effectively acquiring and transferring metacognitive and cognitive skills, and to help them in identifying and carrying out analysis on the deficits they have while improving the strategies they have for solving problems.
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In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), journaling often takes different forms and is used to assist individuals to become aware of their harmful behaviors, establish healthy skills for coping, and incorporate change into their lives. Individuals in CBT may be needed to identify specific patterns of thought, the behaviors and feelings that result from such thought patterns, and journal about the influence of changing their thoughts and behaviors. By putting such strategies into use, an individual may change their behavior to enhance the perspectives they have, daily functioning, and moods. Previous research has supported cognitive strategies like journaling to improve functioning and mood of people who are anxious or depressed. It has been shown that journaling improves individuals’ self-awareness, promote their active self-reflection, and change their perceptions, thoughts, mood, and behaviors. Although some studies on the benefits of journaling have shown mixed results, and that sometimes journaling about one’s feelings, thoughts, and experiences helps, often it worsens things. Generally, journaling is likely to be harmful if it attempts to help one know themselves in isolation and beneficial if it results in behavior change and greater understanding in one’s interactions with others. Therefore, it is important to carry out research on how journaling more can influence more creativity and a positive change in behavior.
Literature Review
Reflection is a process that is used to critically assess issues that do not have solutions that are straightforward. According to Burton & King (2014) the ability of one to reflect is the distinctive feature of a creative person. They argued that there are two types of reflection. The first type of reflection is reflection that requires one to look back or reflection on action and reflection in the moment of reflection-in-action. There are different mediums that can be used for personal writing and reflection such as diaries and journals.
Journals are similar to diaries in terms of their contents, except that they require different levels of privacy. A study about journals indicated that about two thirds of the study participants did not have a problem sharing their journals, and some of them had shared theirs with others (Fritson, 2016) . Compared to diaries, journals do not require much privacy and many teachers are using them to their curriculum. Studies have shown that reflective journal writing for students with grades considered low such as C and D were influenced positively by the chapters that needed them to participate reflective journal writing on what they had learned. However, the influence on student with higher grades such as A and B was not tangible (Fritson, 2016) .
Journals can also be used a tool for therapy. Wright (2018) found that adults, especially seniors who engage in journal writing benefited in ways such as coping, nurturing of spirit and voice, and happiness of discovery. Journals like other types of personal writing like diaries, are known to be good tools for providing mediums for self-understanding and reflection, thus, they are considered to be a therapy form (Wright, 2018) . In a study about reflection and journals, Lindroth (2014) found that thinking considered reflective starts with doubt, perplexity, or hesitation, then moves to a search for resolve, clarity, or at least deal with the doubt. Journals provide people with a medium for reflective thinking. Other than just deciding to conduct personal writing using a journal, one’s attitude is important with regards to self-reflection. Having an open mind or freedom from habits such as prejudice, responsibility, and wholeheartedness, are the attitudes that are considered when taking part in self-reflection (Lindroth, 2014) .
Self-reflection by writing a journal may offer more benefits to people who are open-minded that to individuals who have closed minds. Journaling has been reported to have its benefits on people considered to be regular who simply want to reflect on their everyday lives, but they have also been reported to be beneficial to people who want to change their behavior or have experienced traumatic events (Lew & Schmidt, 2011) . One research study that used journaling as tool for therapy indicated that writing that is structured improved symptoms of stress caused by trauma in as little as less than four sessions (Murnahan, 2010) . The researcher provided treatment using structured writing in which participants were asked to visualize the even, label it, and then rate the level of distress they had. Structured writing therapy was found to be most effective when a specific memory and the emotions that it triggered were targeted.
In a study by Niles, Haltom, Mulvenna, Lieberman, & Stanton (2013) the researchers asked participants what they derived from keeping journals. The study participants reported that the journals helped them in learning how to cope, and over ten of the fifteen participants claimed that their journals were offered them some form of self-therapy. Niles, Haltom, Mulvenna, Lieberman, & Stanton (2013) reported that journals helped the study participants in clarifying their what they felt about relationships and raised their awareness about the relationships they had. In the study by Murnahan (2010) , students from a university in California who were not affected directly by the 9/11 attacks showed significant improvement in symptoms of trauma after they had journaled for 20 minutes for four consecutive days after the 9/11 attacks. This strategy is referred to as Pennebaker’s paradigm (Murnahan, 2010) .
Personal writing using journals has been shown to have positive influence on people who participate in the process. However, some difficulties have also been found with journaling. Cooper (2013) discussed some of the obstacles that people who write journals may encounter. The barriers included situational barriers, institutional barriers, and attitudinal barriers. The barriers that were considered attitudinal had something to do with people doubting themselves, inadequate trust in the process of journaling, and fear of being exposed. Lack of time was one of the situational barriers. The institutional barriers referred to those who did not know how to assess their journals efficiently, thereby making journaling less effective. Whether the reasons for an individual to take up journals writing was academic or personal, journaling, like writing diaries, promotes self-reflection, and may offer therapeutic help (Fritson, 2016) .
The basis of reflective journaling is underpinned in Kolb’s experiential learning theory which has a holistic perspective of learning in which one combines perception, cognition, experience, and behavior to increase learning (Fritson, 2016) . Reflection allows one to reframe and revisit experience in order that they learn from it. In Kolb’s four-stage model of learning, reflection is the tool that allows one to derive meaning from what they experienced in the past and allows them to develop new ideas and approaches which leads to creativity. There are three other reflection forms which include process reflection, premise reflection, and content reflection. Content reflection happens when one critically evaluates a perception, feeling, thought, or action.
On the other hand, process reflection requires one to reflect on how they conducted the process of feeling, perceiving, acting, thinking, and feeling, and evaluates their effectiveness. Finally, in premise reflection, one critically assesses the beliefs and assumptions that the determined the way they approached their thought, perception, action, or feeling. Fritson (2016) contended that the most meaningful and deepest form of reflection is premise reflection, and is the means by which an adult can transform their behavior and the way the way they view and related to the world.
As people learn from reflecting on their experiences, they are likely to engage in self-discovery which may result in positive change in their behavior or coping skills (Lew & Schmidt, 2011) . In addition, reflective journaling also encourages critical thinking, increases empathy, enables one to have deeper understanding of their own experiences and how the experiences are intertwined into other people’s experiences (Lew & Schmidt, 2011) . An individual does not necessarily need to be a skilled writer to find meaning in journaling. The purpose of journaling is not rote memory or expectation of eloquence; rather, it should be used as a tool for forming new perception about events that took place (Baikie & Wilhelm, 2017) . Even topics that may be considered mundane should not be excluded. One should feel free to express the innermost thoughts without any fear that they could suffer negative consequences. For instance, feelings, experiences, memories, thoughts, and cultural interactions are all conscious processes that are subjective and are valid topics that should not be off limits.
People can be encouraged to journal. Current studies contend that it is critical for counselors to advocate for safe spaces for people to discuss and write about social and personal issues. The spaces for writing serve as useful tools for allowing people to have their identities and voices affirmed (Fritson, 2016) . In Fritson (2016) people who were considered at-risk took part in a literacy project that focused on cultural and social challenges of being at-risk. The participants responded favorably to writing about themselves and lives because it enabled them to feel more connected to other people, enabled them to have freedom of expression without the fear of being judged, and provided a basis to increase their understanding of themselves.
In another study, an after-school group for writing was created with the objective of facilitating development of writing by adolescents considered to be at risk. Results of the study showed that the need for safe space for people to evaluate and work through the invisible and oppressive patriarchal discussions on gender (Cooper, 2013) . Although the original purpose of the study was to help at-risk adolescents develop their writing skills, complex and much deeper issues of identity, gender, and dating roles came up through their writings. Reflecting journaling is a window into the lives of at-risk people as the study demonstrated. Reflective journaling is a great strategy for people to increase their creativity or critical thinking and encourage positive change (Fritson, 2016) .
Research Methods
For one to change their behavior, they have to become conscious of their subconscious behavior. By an individual being present and aware of their bad habits, they can start to change them. The researcher began journaling on the first page titled ‘Self-Awareness.’ This was done for the habit that the researcher wanted to develop. This format helped in developing the behavioral patterns of the researcher that needed to be changed. It was important for the researcher to observe himself before beginning the journaling process to change behavior. The researcher started by actively trying to notice the behaviors that held them back from reaching their highest potential. The researcher did this for two weeks. It was important to write the insights into the researcher’s note pad as they got them. After this it was possible to start the journaling process.
The first step in the journaling process was self-awareness. The researcher asked themselves the behavior patterns that they needed to change. It was important to focus on one behavior in this case study. It was then necessary to write statements or affirmations that would help the researcher in achieving the change in behavior. Then, the researcher wrote how they would be able to practice the new behaviors in the researcher’s daily life. It was important to wait for two weeks until successful change was evident before starting working on a new pattern. It was crucial to do journaling everyday for the period of the study because the technique applies neuroplasticity. People’s brains are plastic, which implies that through acts that are intentional, one can change the pathways in their brain. However, it requires consistent repetition to change the pathways. Finally, it was important to journal for at least ten minutes a day.
Results
From the day the researcher started journaling with the objective of changing a specific behavior, many benefits were noticed by the researcher including stress relief, self-confidence, and positive emotional effects. These changes are similar to the findings by a study that was conducted in the United States in which two groups that consisted of young adults were told to journal. One of the groups was required to write about things that they were grateful for and other positive thoughts. The other group was required to write about things that made them upset or bothered them. The findings of this research were consistent with the findings of the study as the group that was asked to write about positive things reported greater increase in determination, enthusiasm, energy, and attention compared to the group that was told to write about things that upset or bothered them. The group that wrote about negative things did not report any signs that they had improved and some of them experienced more anger and became more upset.
By focusing on the positive experiences and positively looking to change behavior, the researcher was able to improve their mood. The continuous and positive writing enabled the researcher to notice the positive changes that journaling was creating in the life of the researcher. The positivity made it easy for the researcher to be more creative and come up with new ways of doing things as it gave the researcher as chance to reflect on the changes that were needed. Pennebaker & Evans (2014) agrees that journaling can be one’s antidepressant.
Discussion
Journaling is a tradition that is ancient and dates back to many centuries ago. Throughout history, people who are successful have practiced journaling. Presidents have maintained journals for posterity while other famous people have kept them for their own consumption. Whether one suffers from bipolar, eating disorder, depression, or schizophrenia, journaling may be beneficial to them. There is increasing evidence that supports the idea that journaling has a positive influence on people’s physical well-being. Pennebaker & Evans (2014) contends that journaling regularly can strengthen one’s immune cells. Other researchers have shown that journaling decreases rheumatoid arthritis and asthma symptoms. Pennebaker & Evans (2014) believes that journaling about events that are stressful can help an individual to come to terms with the stressful events, and that journaling acts as a tool for management of stress, thus minimizing the effects of the stressors on one’s physical health.
Scientific evidence also supports the findings that journaling leads to other unexpected results such as creativity and positive behavior change (Pennebaker & Evans, 2014) . Writing a journal accesses one’s left brain, which is rational and analytical. While the one’s left brain is occupied with writing, their right brain becomes free to create, feel and intuit. In summation, writing takes away mental obstacles and allows one to use all of their brainpower to better understand themselves, others, and the world around them (Stevens & Cooper, 2015) . Journaling helps one to clarify their feelings and thoughts, know themselves better, reduce stress, effectively solve problems, and resolve disagreements with others (Stevens & Cooper, 2015) .
References
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Burton, C. M., & King, L. A. (2014). The health benefits of writing about intensely positive experiences. Journal of Research in Personality , 15-163.
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Fritson, K. K. (2016). Impact of Journaling on Students’ Self-Efficacy and Locus of Control . InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching , 283-298.
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Murnahan, B. (2010). Stress and Anxiety Reduction Due to Writing. Senior Honors , 107-117.
Niles, A. N., Haltom, K. E., Mulvenna, C. M., Lieberman, M. D., & Stanton, A. L. (2013). Effects of Expressive Writing on Psychological and Physical Health: The Moderating Role of Emotional Expressivity. Anxiety Stress Coping , 88-103.
Pennebaker, J. W., & Evans, J. F. (2014). Expressive Writing: Words that Heal. New York: Idyll Arbor, Incorporated.
Qutoshi, S. B. (2018). Phenomenology: A Philosophy and Method of Inquiry. Journal of Education and Educational Developement , 215-222.
Stevens, D. D., & Cooper, J. E. (2015). Journal Keeping: How to Use Reflective Writing for Effective Learning. Chicago: Stylus Publishing, LLC.
Wright, J. K. (2018). Dialogical journal writing as ‘self-therapy’: ‘I matter’. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research , 234-240.
