Journaling is a fairly common practice. Most people love to journal their travels and tours and maybe day-to-day activities. But have you ever considered keeping a journal about your relationship? This article shows you why that is such a great idea.
Here are 10 ways keeping a journal can help your relationship.
1. A Journal Helps You Understand Your Own Feelings
Sometimes in relationships, even our own feelings can confuse us. But keeping a journal can help you understand just how you feel about the relationship.
For example, if you may be conflicted about where the relationship is heading, chances are, you will get some more clarity about it all if you have written down your purpose somewhere.
Related: How to Keep a Relationship Journal
2. It Helps You Know Why You are in The Relationship
Many of us get into relationships without truly understanding why. Subconsciously, we may have a clue why we are there. But the moment we sit down and write our hearts out, there comes this deeper sense of clarity.
We know exactly what we want and why we should stick around and get it.
Bear in mind that every relationship has its ups and downs, but only relationships with a strong focus and purpose are likely to make it through.
3. Journaling Can Help You See The Good in Your Partner on Bad Days
The fact remains that your partner will annoy you. It is almost inevitable. There will come times when you look at him or her and feel some resentment.
In these times, when the flaws of your partner remain the only thing that you see, a journal can shift your focus to the good sides of your partner as well.
For example, if you had journaled a period where he had bought you a gift or truly surprised you, you are likely to feel a bit of joy when you read that journal again.
Related: 15 Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Relationship
4. A Journal Can Help You Forgive Your Partner
Magdalena, a mother, and nurse who lives in Jacksonville, Florida, tells us: “My journal has helped me forgive my partner on countless occasions. When he annoys me, I go back to read it and smile to myself.”
She adds that it is always a great idea to journal even the seemingly bad stuff, as you will want to check them out one day.
5. A Journal Can Help You Apologize
It is easy to feel as though we are the ones who are always right. But this is as far from the truth as far can be. We are not always right, and a journal can make that pretty clear to us.
If you include all the times you have wronged your man or woman in your journal, reading them all over again will humble you. At the same time, it will give you a feeling of hope that if they forgive you, then they will likely forgive you again.
This has happened to me many times.
6. A Journal Can Help You See Your Flaws
Have you ever had that moment when, shortly after a misunderstanding, you sit back to retrospect and are struck by the realization that you may have been wrong? That you also may have overreacted.
Those moments of self-reflection can make just about any relationship a lot better. Because by seeing your own flaws, there becomes more room for self-improvement.
You should know that self-improvement can better any relationship. Your relationship will get much better when you improve yourself and help your partner improve him or herself as well.
Read: 15 Ways to Make Your Woman Feel Special and Loved
7. Journaling Can Help You Understand Your Partner Better
Keeping a journal, as I explained in the subsequent blog post, involves not only writing about yourself but writing about your partner and the relationship as well.
In light of this, a journal will help you understand your partner more.
If you are journaling well enough, you will be able to spot patterns in your partner’s behavior in relation to his mood.
This is to say, you will know how he acts when he is angry, how he acts when he is sad, etc. And this will help you relate with him better.
8. A Journal Can Improve Your Sex Life
This seems impossible, but it is true. If you journal your sex life, you will be able to tell when sex feels great and try out what you had tried out to make it feel that way.
For too many women, keeping a journal about their sex life can be a bit weird. But if you keep up for a moment, it will start to feel less weird and weird.
You can write about your sex life in the first person, making sure you are as expressive as possible.
Read: 15 Ways to Make Your Man Feel Special and Loved
9. Journaling Can Help You Decide the Fate of Your Relationship
This is to say; a journal will help you tell whether or not your relationship is worth it. The sad truth remains that not all relationships continue forever. Some end in breakups.
Your journal will help you know which is the fate of your relationship.
Reviewing your relationship journal at the end of every year is great practice. I do this all the time and encourage others to try it out.
Find a safe spot that is quiet enough, and read your journal. More like, study it. Observe the patterns in your behavior and that of your spouse. Is there something to work on? Are there areas in your relationship that seem as though they cannot be worked on?
10. You Can Send Your Spouse a Journal as a Surprise
This shouldn’t be your ‘own’ journal about your relationship, though. It should not include all the ‘bad’ moments. Instead, it should be a journal about the good times you both have spent together.
Send it to your spouse as a surprise, and chances are, your bond with them will deepen.
Summary
Journaling helps us keep track of even our love lives.