Are you familiar with the story of Robert Shields? Probably not– but his life’s work is expansive, and frankly, amazing.

Robert Shields journaled his life and that’s a huge understatement. He took journaling to an insane level, chronicling every moment of his life for over 25 years. He recorded the food he ate, the places he went, the things he bought and every single mundane detail of his existence. It’s estimated that Shields spent up to four hours a day recording his day.

Mr. Shields is the extreme case (he actually had a sickness called hypergraphia), but there are countless benefits to keeping a journal. Many of the world’s greatest leaders, creators, inventors, and writers were regular journal-keepers. John F. Kennedy’s journal sold for a cool $718K at auction this year.

Sitting down and writing or typing out your thoughts every day has countless benefits. Here are just some of the reasons older adults should keep a personal writing journal.

It’s A Listening Ear

Humans solve problems in many different ways. They will consult the advice of experts, go with their gut or sometimes just take a guess at how to solve an issue and hope it works out. But did you know that writing out a problem is often the best way to solve the issue?

A 2007 brain imaging study by UCLA psychologists revealed that chronicling our feelings makes our sadness, anger and pain less intense. Instead of juggling all of life’s questions around in the brain and spending sleepless nights worrying, sit down and write them all out and search for a solution.

We all have busy lives and as much as we’d love our friends and family to be there every second to lend a listening ear, it’s just not possible. Journaling is a good way to get feelings out without burdening too many people with your problems.

It Can Help Medically

While Mr. Shields might have gone a touch overboard on his journaling, there’s something to be said about having a written or typed account of your life, especially for medical reasons.

For example, what if you woke up one morning with terrible heartburn? It hasn’t been this bad since sometime last year. In fact, you remember it being right around the same time this year. Imagine being able to go back into personal records to compare your food intake now versus the last time you had intense heartburn and possibly finding a culprit.

Or perhaps your shoulder has been hurting for some time. The doctor asks how long and you say “about a week” but checking back in your journal realize the issue has been lingering for over a month.

Now, we’re not suggesting a journal of your running ailments and medical issues, but jotting down a few problems isn’t the worst idea.

You’ll Learn More About Yourself

Sometimes when we write, or when we’re really all alone with our thoughts, we discover things we didn’t know we were thinking. You’re not always consciously picking up on a thought pattern, but when you look back on your writing, a few might be easy to identify.

It’s Something For Your Family

Let’s one again return to the fascinating Mr. Shields. After his death in 2007 at the age of 89, his family was left with volumes and volumes of his journals. He wrote an unbelievable 37.5 million words. Surely the family didn’t pour through every volume but it must have been comforting to his wife and kids to go back and read some of his accounts as a way of remembering the man.

Keeping a journal is a way for loved ones to remember you when you’re gone.

The Possibilities Are Limitless

More than a few readers are shuddering at the idea of writing every day. Here’s the best thing about journals — they can be ANYTHING you want them to be. Take, for example, the recent Bullet Journal trend.

Journals can be anything. They can be drawings or doodles, bulleted lists, pictures, paintings, taped mementos–the possibilities are endless! The focus of the journal should be a capturing life and not perfect prose and penmanship.

Conclusion

Journaling shouldn’t be boring and it shouldn’t feel like a job. It can take as long or as little time a day as you deem necessary. There are many other reasons for starting a journal today. It’s up to you to find the reason that works for you and just start chronicling.