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Life can be stressful and make you feel all types of emotions. Sometimes you just don’t want to talk to people about it, and we get it! Journaling can be beneficial to your mental health, and is great to give yourself some self love. Journaling does not have to be always writing your feelings down, there are simply no rules on journaling! You decide every day on how and what you want to journal. Writing in your journal can range from what you did during your day, to talking about something that is bothering you, or even you being creative and writing a poem.
I began journaling when I first got to college because I was away from my home, my family and all my best friends. I needed a place where I could write down how I was feeling and sort through all my emotions. Journaling became a way for me to practice healthy mental health and has become almost like a form of medication for me. When I journal, I sometimes listen to a Zen Spotify playlist and once in a while I will drink tea. This allows me to debrief from the day and really sort through my priorities and goals in life. College can be stressful for anyone and being away from home can be hard for any new Freshman. We are constantly stressed with exams, studying all the time, and keeping up with our involvements, that we don’t allow ourselves to just unwind from the day. It’s an unavoidable problem that students may feel stressed, and we don’t always allow ourselves to process these emotions. Writing down how we are feeling, whether its school related, or not, can be a helpful coping mechanism. Journaling really depends on the day though: sometimes I will go days without writing anything down and other times I will write something down every day. But you don’t just have to write about your day or how you are feeling. I also write down quotes that I find meaningful, poems, or goals that I have for myself.
If you think you don’t know what to write about or think you don’t have the time to journal, just know that it really is easy and can be on your own terms. I suggest finding a journal or notebook that is aesthetically pleasing to you. I suggest looking at Urban Outfitters or Etsy for a really cute one. If your journal looks pretty to the eye, you are going to want to use it more. The next step is easy: whenever you have any free time and feel like you just need to unwind, just write.
Some possible journal topics to write about:
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Anything that is bothering you
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What you did today
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Your goals in life
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A list of what makes you happy
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Your favorite songs to listen to
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Write down your favorite poems
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Write down your favorite quotes
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Create a poem
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Who inspires you
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Who you aspire to be
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Reminding yourself that you are SMART, beautiful etc.
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A list of your favorite books or Netflix shows
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Careers you want to have
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Practicing self love
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Your favorite memory