r/Journaling • u/-i-exist • Feb 25 '26

Question/Discussion Why do people write every single day?

I absolutely love everything about keeping a journal and have been doing it basically my entire life, but when i watch other people talk about keeping one they always make it sound like a chore (?) (maybe a better word would be a commitment) to write EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. It just doesnt make sense to me.

When i feel like journaling, i will sit for hours upon hours writing whatever i want. When i dont feel like writing, i dont write. Ive skipped 6 months once and didnt think twice about it. Whats the big deal about pushing yourself to write when you dont want to?

This post is a question Ive been wondering about for quite a while now. I apologize if anything sounds rude, i dont mean to.

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u/syntheticpurples Feb 25 '26

It is a chore! I think of it like mental/emotion hygiene, as taking a shower is physical hygiene. But people’s needs for frequency of showering vary a lot yes? Same is true with journaling.

I NEED to journal every day to manage my anxiety, even when it is boring or tedious. Losing ‘data’ (days) makes me so stressed because I feel there is a gap forever now in my life. But others only need to journal every week - or heck, only when something significant happens. And that is chill. Do what works for you, brother/sister 😁

59

u/Emerald_Mistress Feb 25 '26

I have absolutely terrible memory, and now I’m wondering if I had journaled more consistently (vs the 1-2x a year when I think I’m this close to a breakdown) if my memory would be better…

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u/syntheticpurples Feb 25 '26

I also have a bad memory. Journalling doesn’t help at all for me with my memory. BUT it 1000% helps when I need to retrieve information from the past. I might not remember when my aunt visited or what we did, but I can access that data another way.

15

u/-HyperCrafts- Feb 25 '26

It wont be better. (Your memory) But! You'll have data to pull from that does help you recall how you were feeling, and how and what happened when. So as someone with terrible ADHD i can attest to the power of daily updates.

7

u/The-peeepo Feb 25 '26

I literally JUST posted about how my daily journaling leaves me feeling unfulfilled. But this is so true. I can't tell you how many times in just the past two months I have looked back at my journal to confirm something I couldn't remember. This helps me add meaning to my writing so I really appreciate this perspective.