If you've been using the internet for the past few years (which I'm assuming you have) you'd have come across the word 'journaling' at least a million times. From movies, tv shows, social media, everyone seems to be raving about (including me) how therapeutic journaling can be, and how it just might be the only thing that will solve all of your problems at once.

Now, I know that can seem a bit unrealistic, but trust me, journaling actually might just be the only thing that will solve all your problems at once. Well, not ALL of them, but most of them, surely. I think.

As someone who's been using a notebook or any writing medium for the last 15 years to pretty much do anything, I've sort of realized that this umbrella term 'journaling' covers a ton of different topics and objectives. For example, my need to use a journal might be vastly different from yours, I use it for creative expression but you could use it to organize your work life, but that doesn't have to mean that only one of our systems can be correct.

Here's a list of five reasons why journaling might just be the perfect thing for you:

It clears your mind.

It's the simplest of them all. There are things in your mind and writing them down helps you put them elsewhere. It can either be a notebook or your phone, or your computer. As long as you're letting these thoughts out, thoughts that clutter your brain and take up valuable space, you're good. If you're someone who's especially got a long list of things to remember or track every day, journaling can be super helpful.

It allows you to explore yourself creatively.

Remember when we were kids and we just let our minds run wild whenever we came across a pack of crayons? Each of those sessions was so essential because they allowed us to be creative without the fear of judgment. Your journal becomes the playground for all your art skills and talents that you think are not 'good enough' (which is honestly just the farthest from the truth, but we will get to that some other time) to be seen by the outer world. Your journal becomes your best friend always ready for your with that little box of crayons so that your genius creative ideas can come to life.

It helps you brainstorm.

Whenever I've tried this technique, I've always been at least 95% successful, if not more. So what you do is, you take out your notebook (this is best done with paper and a pen) and whatever project you've been working on, you just start writing out all the words you can think of related to it. You write synonyms and adjectives, and create mind maps and charts and let the flow of the pen and the paper guide you. Sooner than later, you'll be a lot closer to figuring out the problem than you were at the beginning.

It organizes your life.

A bullet journal, as invented by Ryder Carrol is a system to help your track your ideas, thoughts, habits, and ultimately your life. Bullet journaling is one of the most brilliant things in the world because it can do anything. If your goal is to be more productive, live a healthier lifestyle, learn new things, or even just be a better person, maintaining a bullet journal can help you achieve all of those.

It makes you happier.

Ever since I started sharing my journal spreads on my Instagram, so many people have reached out to me that since they began journaling, they've just been so much happier as a person. So much in life is controlled by rules and so much of life is to be lived formally, but when you're with your journal, you can completely just be yourself. If you're a sports fan, you can use it to write out your thoughts after each match, or create trackers to see how many matches you've watched this week. Most days, just the thought that I'll be able to write this down in my journal later motivates me to do the task in the first place.

Honestly, this list will never end but what I would want more than anything is for you to pick up a notebook or your phone, pick out whatever system of journaling suits you, and start today. Because if you're anything like me, I'm pretty sure that using a journal for a purpose that complements your life, will change you forever.