Ever since I was young, I turned to writing for everything. When a friend hurt my feelings, I wanted to apologize to someone, or I needed an outlet, the pen and paper were there to ease my stress and make me feel better. I used to slip notes under my sister’s door, saying “sorry” if I made her mad, or I’d write how I no longer considered a certain person my friend in my childhood diary if they didn’t play with me on the swings that day.
Writing has always been a kind of sanctuary for me. But the problem is that getting older means you have less time to do the things that allow you to step away from the issues of daily life. But still, I’ve made journaling a priority.
One of my favorite TikTok influencers, @helenaludoella, shares her “journal ecosystem” in her videos, talking about how her diaries reflect her life. She prints out old childhood photos to paste into the pages, and types up recountings of specific memories so that she can put them into her journals to look back on years from now.
I absolutely adore the idea of doing this, which is what inspired me to start writing again. College has been an absolute ride of busyness and chaos since I arrived, and finding even just ten minutes to scribble down some thoughts in my dorm at the end of the day has made a huge difference for me.
You might be wondering, “What do I write?”
The truth is, no one can really tell you that. Helena discusses in her videos that no one can tell you what you should write about, because, truthfully, it’s completely up to you. She said one of her biggest struggles with writing in her diaries is that she constantly feels perceived, and I really related to that.
I write as if I’m writing for an audience, but there are days when I feel extra vulnerable and honestly just write whatever it is I’m thinking. That’s the great thing about journaling: it’s a versatile, unlimited activity. If you’re more of a creator, journaling allows for that, too. I personally gather up washi tape, old magazine scraps, photos, and collage them in my journal as a remembrance of whatever I was thinking, feeling, or fascinated by in that moment.
My current project is trying to chronicle the people I’ve met and the things I’ve done so far in my first semester at college. I plan on printing pictures of my friends’ faces and pasting in movie tickets and receipts as a physical time capsule of the things I’ve done. I know that in the years to come, I’ll be thankful to have a way to look back on the days when I was so busy and really just in the absolute heap of life.Â
So, I challenge you to give journaling a try. Write about your day, and reflect on what you want to work on. Rant about the political state of the world! Make a recipe list for a new dessert you want to bake!
It truly doesn’t matter what you write about, as long as you’re writing.
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