I’ve always loved the idea of journaling but I just couldn’t find the time in my day to do it. So in an effort to improve my writing and take on a new hobby, I wrote in my journal every single day for a week.
Let me be completely honest and say that I suck at journaling. I always have. I’ve been trying to keep a journal for years. I have a few old journals from middle school that are probably halfway full of nonsensical rants about how unfair my life was because my mom wouldn’t stop telling me to clean my room.
The biggest problem I always run into is trying to figure out what I wanted to write about. My day to day life is not interesting at all and It felt kind of silly writing about the bagel I ate for lunch or the grade I got on my last English exam, but as time went on I finding writing topics became a lot easier. A lot of my journal entries were focused on significant moments, inspirational quotes/videos and personal thoughts/fears. I learned a lot about myself throughout this process and I would like to share those lessons here.
Here are the key lessons these entries taught me.
BETTER PENMANSHIP
After about two days of journaling, I noticed a major improvement in my penmanship which is a pretty big deal because my handwriting has always been god awful.
MY MENTAL HEALTH IMPROVED
Journaling every day actually became therapeutic. Being able to sit down with my own thoughts every day for only a few minutes actually altered my overall mood throughout the day. I actually even started to look forward to journaling writing.
MY HAND ACHED… A LOT
While I enjoy the sincerity handwritten notes and poems, I don’t see how people lived without typewriters and keyboards. Every ten seconds I had to put the pen down and stretch my fingers.
IT FELT LIKE HOMEWORK
It almost felt like a chore. There were many nights when I just really did not want to journal. Once I finish all of my homework, I’m usually really tired and I just want to sleep.
I SCARED MYSELF
Seeing all my hopes, dreams, and fears all on paper made me realized how scared I am of failing at them. I challenged myself in my journal, and that really brought a lot of things into perspective.I realized just how scared I am of failing at accomplishing my dreams and just how much my fears are holding me back.
Journaling every day for a week was enlightening, to say the least. The most important lesson I learned during my challenge was the importance of self-reflection. I encourage anyone reading this to spend at least ten minutes a day self-reflecting whether it be by journaling, blogging, or just an internal thought and to track your progression.
-hcxo