Table of Contents
What is the rule of journaling?
The rule of passing a journal entry is that the entry must have at least two accounts, with one debit and credit amount. The debit amounts will always equal the credit amounts. Every journal entry in the general ledger will include the date of the transaction, amount, affected accounts with account number, and description. The journal entry may also include a reference number, such as a check number, along with a brief description of the transaction. Examples of special journals are the cash receipts journal, cash disbursements journal, payroll journal, purchases journal, and sales journal. If there is one inviolate rule of journal writing, it is that there simply are no rules! Do what works. Don’t worry about what you’re not doing. Give yourself permission.
What science says about journaling?
Studies have also shown that journaling can reduce the frequency of intrusive, depressive thoughts, help college students who are vulnerable to depression, and reduce overall levels of depression in those diagnosed with a Major Depressive Disorder. There are also benefits of journaling for anxiety symptoms. Journaling helps keep your brain in tip-top shape. Not only does it boost memory and comprehension, it also increases working memory capacity, which may reflect improved cognitive processing. Journaling also helps people hone their focus so that they think about only one thing at a time. When you write your thoughts by hand, you can only write one word at a time. Your thoughts slow down to match your writing speed and you’ll find that it’s easier to slip out of your overthinking mindset. Journaling helps us stay mindful and focused on the present moment. By writing your thoughts down, you separate yourself from them. This gives you space to see what’s going on beneath the surface. Simply put, by naming your thoughts, they lose their power over you. A journal and a diary are similar in kind but differ in degree. Both are used to keep personal records, but diaries tend to deal with the day to day, more data collection really, and journals with bigger picture reflection/aspiration.
Are there rules to journaling?
If there is one inviolate rule of journal writing, it is that there simply are no rules! Do what works. Don’t worry about what you’re not doing. Give yourself permission. ‘ This seems to be a common refrain amongst the journaling community and especially for memoir writers. Don’t throw out your journals—they are tiny pieces of you. They are the raw materials for whatever autobiography you may want to write later. Writing, like anything, improves with practice. When you journal every day, you’re practicing the art of writing. And if you use a journal to express your thoughts and ideas, it can help improve your communication skills. So can journaling be harmful? The answer is yes, there are scenarios in which journaling can be harmful, but these scenarios are easily avoidable. Just like anything, you have to moderate the amount of time you spend doing it. You simply have to know when to stop.