10 Vital Reasons Rural Women Should Journal Daily

Journaling can be a powerful tool for managing mental and emotional well-being in rural women. But there are other reasons women should journal regularly. Besides being a tool for self-discovery, journaling provides opportunities for building community, preserving the past and planning for the future.

Generations of women before us kept journals or diaries, reflecting the activities of their daily lives. Occasionally, a brave soul would delve a little deeper and share her thoughts and feelings beyond what was expected of her.

These journals remind us that we have come along way as women. Yet, we still share many of the same concerns, hope, and dreams as women generations before us.

This connection is inspiring and provides us the motivation we need to face our daily struggles with hope, and even humor.

As a woman living in a rural area, I know life can be a challenge. Journaling on a daily basis has been a lifesaver for me. I strongly believe it has great value in every woman’s life.

Here are 10 reasons journaling is vital for rural women:

Self- Reflection –  

Journaling provides a space for self-reflection. It’s an opportunity to express our deepest fears, constant frustrations, and joyful moments with a nonjudgemental partner, ourselves.

We become our own best friend as we gain a deeper understanding of our thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Getting it all down in writing removes it from our ever-churning mind.

It’s a perfect place to reflect our on our values and priorities, giving clarity to what is important to us. We become more aware of our thoughts, needs, and feelings which leads to opportunity for personal growth in many areas of our lives.

Emotional Expression –

Expressing ourselves is one of those personal growth areas we can all benefit from. Journaling allows women to express and explore their emotions in a safe space.

The physical act of writing about our feelings provides a sense of relief. As we release some of our pent-up emotions, we reduce the intensity of the feelings. This allows us to think more clearly about why we are feeling the way we are.

We have opportunity to develop and work on solutions to our emotional ups and downs. And it gives up a chance to plan out our words and practice them.

So instead of responding in anger or frustration where our message may be unclear, we come to the discussion knowing the points we want to get across.

Goal Setting and Planning –

Rural women often juggle multiple roles, wife, mother, employee, and farmhand, for example.

It becomes difficult for us to set goals and track our progress. This is because we get so busy, we lose sight of our goals, or life just throws us off-track.

Creating a journaling routine may be included in that aspect of goal setting. However, scheduling in a specific time and place to journal, can be a good way to get started with goal setting and tracking.

Writing down your goals in your journal and revisiting them often, preferably daily, can lead to taking baby steps in the right direction.

Your daily journal provides you with a sense of purpose and a direction to go in. No wandering aimlessly wondering what your next step should be.

Celebrating Achievements –

If you begin using your journal for goal setting and tracking your progress, it will also become the perfect place to acknowledge your achievements.

Whether you set goals or not, celebrating successes of any size is important to keeping a positive attitude. You raise your self-esteem, giving the confidence to keep moving forward.

It’s like giving yourself the positive reinforcement you need to stay motivated, even on the days when everything seems to go haywire.

And we all know living in rural areas lends itself to unexpected, uninvited disruptions.

Expressing Gratitude –

There are so many ways our lives can go sideways when you live in the country.

As rural women, it’s not just the people in our lives that affect what we accomplish in a day, our animals, the weather, the season, all impact our thoughts, emotions, and frustrations.

Expressing gratitude through journal is a visual, written reminder of all we have to be thankful. It lets us know that “this too shall pass.”

Keeping track of the things you are grateful for also keeps you from falling into the rabbit hole of negative thoughts and despair.

Community Building –

Rural women often develop a sense of community with the women around them. They experience many of the same challenges and frustrations, as well as many of the joys and benefits of country living.

Journaling can be a way of connecting with other women by sharing some of the insights and experiences they record in their writing. Because your journal is your private space, you can choose who, what, and when to share.

Sharing appropriately can provide a sense of solidarity among rural women. It creates a support system between women who truly know what you are going through.

Cultural Preservation –

One of the benefits of rural living is the cultural heritage that is often attached to it.

Journaling is an easy way to document the traditions, stories, and experiences that may otherwise be forgotten. Keeping these stories and traditions alive through the written word contributes to the preservation of our past.

It also explains a great deal about who we are, giving purpose and meaning to the lifestyle we choose to live. These personal tidbits can inspire the generations to follow as younger women begin their own personal journey into rural life as a wife and mother, or as an independent lady.

Self-Care –

Country living involves a variety of responsibilities. We are often torn between taking care of our family, our animals, and the “job” we hold to support these things.

Being pulled in so many different directions leaves us with little time for ourselves. It’s one of the reasons we often feel stress and lose touch with our thoughts and feelings.

While personal journaling is one form of self-care, it can also help us recognize the need for more “me” time.

We can use our journaling to organize our thoughts and manage our time more effectively. If we are willing to look at patterns of behavior such as procrastination habits or taking on responsibilities of others, we can address them.

Then it’s time to establish a plan for implementing more self-care into our lives, even if it’s just a cup of coffee with a neighbor. We all deserve some down time in order to fill our own bucket.

Stress Reduction –

Studies have shown that journaling on a regular basis can reduce stress levels. And as mentioned before, rural women face unique challenges which ups their chances of feeling stressed.

Stress can lead to anxiety and depression if left unchecked. Writing about your frustrations is a therapeutic tool available to all women and it’s free.

There are no appointments to schedule or long drives to the counselor’s office. You can implement the practice of journaling to reduce stress at a place and time that works best for you.

The people we love most can often be the source of our stress. Sometimes we hesitate to share our troubles with those closest to us because we do not want to burden them with our problems.

Unburdening your frustrations in your private journal allows you to let go and feel the relief without hurting anyone in the process. And it gives you time to gain perspective before sharing if you decide to do so.

This emotional release is vital to managing your mental well-being.

While journaling cannot replace medical care in serious cases of anxiety and depression, it can be a helpful assistant, providing clear documentation for your health care provider. If you feel you need more help managing your emotional wellness, please see a professional.

And take your journal with you.

Creativity and Expression –

One last area to consider as a valid reason for rural women to journal is artistic exploration. Many rural women don’t take the time to explore their creative side.

Yet our ability to problem-solve, reuse, recycle, and reinvent uses for objects in unique ways is remarkable.

We don’t often think of it as creative. We call it practical. However, our imaginations are at work.

For many rural women, their creativity is more obviously expressed through crafting, quilting, gardening, and cooking. But a journal can be another place to express their creative side.

A journal can be used to record stories, poems, and songs. Drawings are easily incorporated into daily journals, as would photographs and small crafts.

 Expressing our creative side is a form of self-care and pairs well with journaling.

These are 10 of the reasons rural women should start a regular journaling practice. Through journaling we gain many positive impacts. It provides us with a tool for self-discovery, mental/emotional health management, and community/generational connection.

As we navigate our chaotic life with friends, family, and work, writing down our thoughts, feelings, experiences, and goals, gives us a venue to safely explore our inner selves.

We can sort out our emotions, gain clarity, learn to better express ourselves, and pass those skills on to the next generation of country loving, rural living women.

(This post is the first in a series where we will explores the benefits and challenges to implementing a daily (or regular) journaling habit. Be on the lookout!)