I was going through my closet the other day and I found an old flowered journal, spine held together with duct tape, documenting every insignificant detail of my life from age thirteen through my junior year of high school. It was a treasure trove of cringeworthy memories, crushes and capital “D” Drama. I wrote about soccer practice, curfew, learning how to drive, and my first boyfriend. As I flipped through to the back of the journal, my entries went from once or twice a day, to once or twice a week, to skipping months and only writing if something important (see aforementioned Drama) happened. This journal was full of things I had completely forgotten about, and probably would have never remembered if I hadn’t written them down.
I bought a new journal at the beginning of this year as a New Years Resolution to start writing something new every day. It could be grocery lists, good things that happened that day, poems, or rants. I’ll be honest, I still haven’t completely gotten on top of my game, but journaling is something I look forward to every day. There’s not a lot of things I would recommend to everyone, but seriously, you should keep a journal. Here’s why:
It gives you a place to be yourself. You don’t have to worry about being judged on what you want to say, because those pages aren’t going to tell anyone. You’re allowed to be frustrated, stressed, sad, or in love.
It’s fun! Journaling doesn’t have to be serious all the time. Write things that you think are funny, glue mementos from the day onto the pages, get a nice pen or decorate the cover with stickers. Look forward to picking up your journal because it’s a conglomeration of everything you are!
It’s a hub of creativity. Writing everything down, your inspirations, your good days, tiny miracles, or the song stuck in your head that day gives you something to look back on and pull from if you’re ever in a creative rut.
It’s a stress reliever. After a bad day, you can rant about whatever you want, using whatever words you want to use. It helps you work through the problems of the day, big life decisions, or even giving you a place to get something off your chest.
It helps you grow. It’s impossible not to grow when you’re keeping a journal. You have a log of all your successes and missteps. Looking back, you’ll know what to do the next time you’re in a similar situation because you’ve learned from what you’ve already been through.
Looking back. This is the reason I started keeping a journal in the first place. My thirteen-year-old self knew her life was important and even seven years later, I love reading through what was happening every day. It’s a physical way to see where I came from, how I’ve changed and what little things have impacted my life along the way.
Sure, life is a collection of all the big moments, but it’s the little moments that get you there, and they’re worth not forgetting.
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