To be honest, personal development wasn’t exactly a topic I was thrilled to write about. That’s precisely why I started. I wanted to build a writing habit and take time to reflect on questions I was asking myself anyway. Sharing my take on these questions, in my own voice, ended up shifting my perspective in meaningful ways. I’ve even received a few comments from readers—if it’s helped even one person, that’s more than enough. And having real conversations around these questions? That’s been incredibly valuable too.
Today’s Topic: Do You Keep a Journal?
Let’s get straight to it—do you journal regularly, whether in response to prompts like these or just on your own? Can you put your mood, thoughts, even your secrets down on paper without hesitation? And perhaps most importantly: do you have secrets you’ve never told anyone—not even yourself?
What’s your approach to protecting the privacy of your journal? What’s the most intimate thing you’ve ever written down—something you’d never want anyone else to read? And are you trying to release these secrets somehow? Or are you still choosing to hold onto them? For how much longer?
Do these secrets exist because you’ve deliberately ignored them—or because you can’t view them objectively yet? Do they represent a past you’re not ready to face?
My Take: Journaling Isn’t About Writing Every Day
I’ve been keeping a journal for 8 to 10 years now. Some years, I wrote only five entries; other years, I wrote during 60% of the year. To me, journaling is like mental decluttering. Sometimes, it’s about organizing thoughts; other times, it’s about being radically honest with myself.
The journal is my emotional sandbox, my mental therapy. Unless I’m emotionally moved by something, I usually don’t use it for political takes, creative drafts, or film/book reviews. Those go to my blog or social media. Journaling is for something else.
Here’s what journaling has taught me:
- I have thoughts and feelings I can’t even admit to myself—until I write them down.
- Some memories aren’t preserved accurately—they’re blended with my imagination.
- Tracking my emotional shifts helps me deal with them and see how far I’ve come.
- There’s a gap between how I appear, how I am, and how I want to be. Journaling helped narrow that gap.
- Some of my ideas evolve over time, but many remain unchanged. I now understand the root of certain patterns—rage, depression, unhealthy relationships—and I’ve found more peace.
- Journaling gave me a clear view of how I’ve changed over the last eight years. What I wanted then, what I achieved, what I failed at. I now know what truly matters vs. what was just impulse.
- Most of the secrets I kept turned out to be… meaningless. They were draining me for no reason. Some I kept just to avoid hurting others—but I was the one getting hurt. Journaling helped me face them.
So… Should You Keep Your Journal Private?
That’s up to you. No one needs to know everything about you. But secrets should not stress you out or silently shape your life. If they do, journaling might be the safest space you have to begin facing them.
And if you’re thinking, “Can’t I just think about these things instead of writing them?”—well, I used to think that too.
But the truth is, I can’t remember what I was thinking three minutes ago. Writing is how I clarify my mind. How I calm it. And nothing compares to re-reading something you wrote years ago and realizing: “I didn’t even know I was growing.”
That kind of self-recognition is priceless.
bahadirhancicek 
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