Journaling is a fulfilling way to process emotions and events that happen throughout the day. It is a pastime many people pick up during childhood, but it also is a potentially necessary tool to utilize during other times in life. It can start with a simple notebook and a pen, and lead to becoming an incredibly rewarding activity. Especially in college when life gets busy, taking time for yourself and writing down your thoughts can be a therapeutic experience.
My personal history with keeping a journal began in elementary school and I have written entries on and off ever since. My sophomore year of high school I began to write more regularly and it became a large part of my teenage years. While I might look back now and cringe at my past self, it is nice to have those thoughts stored after all of this time.
One misconception of journaling is that it has to be written words on paper and is strictly a monotonous recounting of one’s day. This is far from the truth, because there are so many ways to journal. You can get fun pens and highlighters like Zebra Mildliners or decorate pages like a scrapbook. There are no clear guidelines to what you can express and I think that is one of the beautiful parts of making it a routine.
Whether you are writing about what you ate for breakfast or documenting your life with a bullet journal, journaling can teach you a lot about yourself. It is fascinating to see growth from one point of time to the next and there are so many details that may have been forgotten if not for writing them down. Reflection is a significant part of growing up and journaling provides the perfect outlet for it.