Journaling… the word might insight some nostalgic memories of your elementary school self. At one time or another, whether we’d like to admit it or not, we all got into journaling. As a young girl, it was fun to write about your crush, best friend (who may or may not be your best friend depending on the week), ideas, dreams, and carrying the heavy weight of your young life in a small journal. If you ever want a good laugh, I encourage you to find your old journal and look inside. I promise, you will find some cringeworthy, laughable things in there.
For me as a young girl, my journaling obsession was cultivated by my love for writing. But even as much as I loved writing, I could never seem to keep a journal consistently. Every Christmas, I would get a new one with the intent of “THIS YEAR BEING THE YEAR!” that I would finally write in it every day. However, as February came around, like every New Year’s Resolution, I forgot about my journaling commitment. To attest to this, I could find about five half-written journals lying around. So much untapped potential!
As much as I forgot to write, and even when I did, I found journaling slowly becoming a nuisance. Although I wanted to remember everything I did each day, I simply didn’t feel up to writing. Around this time, I read Anne Frank’s Diary. As a young child interested in writing, I was shocked by how mature and advanced her writing was for her age. She was able to convey so much during such a scary time in her life. I was inspired and wanted to be able to write like her. Therefore, I journaled more seriously as though someone might find my journal one day and be amazed by my writing skills. But that soon wore me down, too.
After my numerous failed attempts at journaling, I finally decided to take a different approach. I came to the realization that journaling is not supposed to be about perfection or profound ideas every time you write. It doesn’t even have to be about writing in your journal every day. For me, it’s not always about what I’m writing. Instead, it’s the emotional and spiritual experience I get as I collect my thoughts, notice how I am feeling, and write whatever comes to mind. Some days, I’ll write one sentence or a few words that reflect my mood, and other days I fill up pages. I found that if I leave 5-10 minutes into my nightly routine for journaling, that is all I need. It’s relaxing, it’s beneficial to promote sleep, and to engage your inner self. I love seeing the paper completely empty and knowing that I can have the power to put whatever I want on that page. Like an artist who paints a blank canvas, your words are your own little magic if you just open yourself up to the idea.
What’s even better is looking back at what you’ve written in the past. It’s kind of like time traveling, reading your previous thoughts. Like reading a book, your own story comes to life and can transform you back into the time and place you were in that moment. Here is where you can measure growth and change we aren’t always aware of in the moment. You might try numbering or dating your entries as an easier way to gauge the specific time and day. Also, it is a good reminder that change is consistent. Even though you may have been sad one day when you wrote, flip a few pages forward, and I guarantee you will see some sunny words. It’s a bad day, not a bad life.
The most significant thing I have learned from journaling is that you don’t have to be good at it, you just need to show up. Journaling is personal, it’s about you and your life. So why not take a pen to a blank sheet of paper. Journaling is the easiest way to learn about yourself and tap into your feelings. Who knows, the answer that you’ve been looking for may be right inside your journal.