writing

Recently, I was reading an article in a magazine about the benefits of writing. Here's an excerpt:

"The best way to start improving your mind and your memory is to keep a journal. Writing down your experiences on a daily basis will begin to refine your thinking. Ironically, we have trained ourselves to write to forget, with Post-it notes, lists, etc. We compile a grocery list, for instance, so we won't forget to buy milk and eggs. By keeping a journal, you're writing to remember. When you sit down at the end of the day to write, you're visualizing what happened throughout the day. This reinforces memories you have already naturally made. Soon after you begin keeping a journal, you'll see your retention of each day's events grow dramatically.

Keeping a journal will also develop your ability to breathe life into fragments. Recalling a memory based on a small bit of associated information is one of the key components to building memory.

Writing things down will exercise your brain in different ways. It's a good workout for both the left and right halves of our brains, especially since most of us tend to use only one side. Writing down what you see is a left-brain activity. You're analyzing and identifying experiences. Visualizing your day while you're recording it is a right-brain exercise. And the more you use both halves of your brain, the more your mind will grow and become more flexible."

So I'm thinking, this is yet another benefit of blogging! This blog is definitely the closest thing I have to a journal. I love the thought that writing about some of my thoughts, experiences, memories, and just daily life is refining my thinking. And heaven knows I'll take all the help I can get in building my capacity to remember! Sometimes I feel like my mind is a sieve -- things just flow right through it. If composing entries to my blog will help my mind to grow and become more flexible and develop my memory, well then, blog on.

I think this article jumped out at me because I have been thinking lately about how little writing I was doing prior to starting my blog. In the last couple of months, I feel like my writing ability has improved, and that makes me happy. I had been feeling like it was a skill that was fading away because of disuse. Now I feel like I'm recording aspects of my life that I want to remember, reaching out to friends and family, AND improving my mind, all at the same time. Now I ask you, what other activity can accomplish all these things with so little time and energy? I love it.