On Why You Should Write (and Journal)

So long story short, I have been on therapy for a few months now and at the beginning of the therapy I realized the importance of journaling. I think writing what's on your mind has helped me to process everything that happens in life, my feelings and emotions, and to reflect back on my progress.

I religiously used journals as the way to regulate my emotions for most part, and it’s an amazing way to have my problems identified and to be brought up to every therapy session. Thanks to my therapist. I’d reflect back what’s happened on my day, and just write them down on the note app on my phone before I go to sleep. Journaling on my phone also helps me to consistently do it.

However, about a couple months ago, I started to not journal every day. I thought, if nothing interesting happened to me that day, I wouldn’t need to journal. And in every therapy session, I managed to bring things up for discussion. And I said this to my therapist. He said if I’m able to do that without journaling every day, then good. So I stopped journaling daily.

What I thought would be a “oh I’d journal only when something interesting happens,” or if there’s highlight worth to journal about, turned into I never journal again. Ever. 

My latest journal entries were Dec 17; Dec 7; Dec 3; Dec 2; and Nov 28. And before that it was Nov 12. You see how I didn't even journal for two weeks almost? 

Then today, Dec 30, 2025, after a few months of therapy, after countless aha moments my therapist has helped me identify, after much progress (I thought) I made, another moment of realization came: how journal is importantly important. Lol. It couldn't be more important than that.

I realized, the past 4 or 5 sessions, I was not prepared as much for my session, mainly due to the lack of topics to discuss, or problems to bring up, or simply very little things to talk about.

My sessions have always been fruitful, don't get me wrong. I love therapy that much I’d look forward to Thursday 10 o’clock every week lol. But today, it got me thinking about how the past few sessions were not as amazing as it was when I regularly journal. 

Usually, and by usual I mean when I was journaling almost daily, I would reflect back on my journal entries the week before for the next session (I’m on once a week therapy lol), and I can easily share what happened the past week to my therapist (maybe we’d spend the first 10-15 minutes to talk about this), what I found interesting, how I felt daily, etc. But since I stopped, I can't remember if I shared with my therapist what happened the past week, or one time, I’d come empty handed and don’t know what to talk about and end up talking about stuff.

Not every therapy session has to be heavy and intense. Or in Indonesian we say daging banget (translation: full of meat). Sometimes, if not more often, we just need someone to share our feelings with, or have someone (professionals) to talk with. 

But I felt an immense feeling of benefit, had amazing and incredible sessions, and ended the session with a great smile on my face, or thought provoking aha moments, or eagerness to better myself, or combo of all that. IF I journal. 

Okay now back to Dec 30, 2025. I had this very interesting interaction with my therapist and he ended up tasking me to think about my progress and achievement the past year since starting therapy. To be discussed next session.

As part of my problem I actively try to talk with my therapy, I genuinely am having problems thinking about them. Progress and achievement. 

This will not be a problem if I journal regularly. Right?

Okay now this is the end of this post. I (and you might too) realized that I usually have a long intro to my post, a little discussion, then abruptly, we’re at the end of it. Lol. And this will be like that too.

I remember December 2024, I wrote down some things I want to do for 2025, some sort of new year’s resolution though I hate saying it that way. And one thing I wrote down was to “journal at least four times a week.” And that seems doable. And important!

And with that, knowing how I benefit tremendously from it, I’m once again, aiming for a four times a week minimum of journal. 

And I think you should too!

Pittsburgh, Dec 30, 2025 | 11:04am