Since we were little, our school teachers would always encourage us to write all of our assignments and reminders down in our agendas so we would not forget anything. This was practice that I have, for almost 15 years, completed each day. Only now, many of us have ditched the academic planner for something more personal, a journal. In recent years, journaling has become a trendy phenomenon. There are YouTubers and Instagram pages dedicated to journaling inspiration. This is a trend that I believe is going to stay around for a while. Productivity is constant in American culture. Any trend that feeds into that is sure not to go anywhere.
Everyone uses their journal differently. Many people use it as a casual place to write shopping and to-do lists, others decorate the pages with intricate designs. One practice that I find very interesting is habit tracking. The writer designs a few different charts with a corresponding habit (brushing your teeth, for example). The charts will have a box that represents a day of the month. Then, each day the person brushes their teeth, they will fill in the box representing that day. This helps people who are struggling to maintain certain habits and allows them to gently hold themselves accountable. While I don’t do this personally, I’d like to try it one day!
Journaling is not only for those who are a type-A, super organized person. You don’t need expensive pens or luxury notebooks either. It’s probably one of the most accessible hobbies there is. Journaling is a great way to record memories—this is the route I take most often. I use a plain dollar store bullet journal—it does the job and even has an elastic strap to keep it closed and ribbon bookmarks. Each month, I do a recap of all my favorite memories. I also make sure to save any receipts, stickers, or cards I can throughout the month and tape them in alongside photos I’ve taken. There are many portable bluetooth printers that are perfect for producing small photos, but I often use the school printers and cut my photos out. Though this task can become a little tedious and hard to keep up with when school work starts to pile up, I find it to be very rewarding. I can put on a show or podcast for an hour and just work on my journal. I try to make an effort to stay on top of my monthly entries because I know that I will be so thankful to have it to look back on after college.
Journaling is not only good for recording memories and staying organized but it also is proven to improve mental health. From personal experience, I know that writing in a journal clears my mind and is a creative outlet. The University of Rochester Medical Center cites three more results:
- Helping you prioritize problems, fears, and concerns
- Tracking any symptoms day-to-day so that you can recognize triggers and learn ways to better control them
- Providing an opportunity for positive self-talk and identifying negative thoughts and behaviors
With these things in mind, you can see why journaling is perfect for college students. We all need something to ease our minds and stay orderly—and something to do while we watch Netflix.
XO Christina