# Reflection as a journaling practice Reflection in journaling means processing what happened so you can "turn the page and start fresh." It's the practice of transferring the record of events from your mind into your journal, giving your brain permission to let go. This is different from mere logging—it involves actively thinking about experiences after gaining time and space from them. The saying "those who keep a journal get to live life twice" captures this well. When you revisit entries with distance, you see things more clearly than in the heat of the moment. Patterns emerge. Recurring frustrations reveal themselves. Small wins that felt insignificant at the time add up to real progress. This clarity then feeds into [[Periodic journaling]] reviews where you decide what to start, stop, or keep doing. Effective reflection requires both capturing entries after significant events and scheduling time to review them later. The capture preserves raw experience; the review extracts wisdom. Combined with [[Practice daily gratitude]], reflection transforms journaling from a chore into a tool for genuine self-understanding and growth. ## Related - [[Benefits of journaling]] - [[Periodic journaling]] - [[Practice daily gratitude]] - [[The Gap vs The Gain]] - [[Writing is thinking]]