Journals help record thoughts, emotions

Maintaining a journal has many advantages- you can record your thoughts, capture memories, spill out your secrets, develop a habit of writing and so on.

You can have different types of journals depending upon your interests. Metrolife helps you get started.

Writer’s journal

Aspiring writers can jot down ideas in these little books. Inspiration can strike anytime so better be prepared. You will also have a ready reference of ideas for future use or to tackle writer’s block later.

Food Journal

Keeping a record of what you eat and when you eat, helps you to create a diet plan based on your choices and needs. From writing down recipes and new dish ideas to detecting food intolerances, revising old recipes or calculating calorie content in dishes — a food journal will help you with everything.

Reading Journal

You can write down titles you have already read or things you found interesting in the book. Use it as a reference to suggest books to newbies, turn the pages to revisit an old favourite quote or whip it out at a book club meetup to highlight points or perspectives from a book.

Dream Journal

Maintaining a dream journal is a lot of fun, but it requires consistency and patience. As soon as you wake up, write down your dream in the journal while all details are still fresh in your memory. It lets you analyse your dreams and learn a bit more about yourself, your fears, your thought processes. Place your journal under your pillow or on your bedside table for ease of access.

Gratitude Journal

A gratitude journal helps bring in some positivity in your life. In it, you write down something that you’re grateful for or small instances like a chance encounter with someone that brightened your day. On days where the going gets tough, you can read through your journal for some motivation.