When I first thought about the idea of journaling, I instantly shied away from it because the things that come to mind when journaling is mentioned are things like how intense bullet journaling is or how stressful it is to keep up a daily journal.
I have never been the type of person who took the time to understand my feelings and process them in a healthy way. Most times, I’d be defensive, deflective or angry — or a mix of all three.
This became especially true during my college application season and IB exams, where my stress levels were extremely heightened. Not only did this impact me in a negative way, it also affected the people around me as I took my emotions and anger out on them, instead of processing them healthily in other ways. During this time my relationships with my parents and siblings were super tense as I could snap at any moment.
Fast forward to my freshman year at Skidmore College, it was an extremely hard adjustment period for me. As an international student coming from a big city, moving to a small, isolated liberal arts school made me realize it was not the right fit for me.
I knew I had to transfer and thankfully I found my place at Fordham. Even then, throughout this time period I experienced an emotional roller coaster that I had yet to understand and internalize. Only as recently as the middle of September did I make a daily goal for myself to actually start writing about how my day went, what emotions I felt throughout the day, and a few things I was thankful for — all in the hopes of leading me to a happier life.
Finding resources like this video about journaling, as well as this 30 question quiz or this article has helped me become more self-aware and has helped me reflect on my emotions. Though it hasn’t been long, I have been successful with my journaling and I am hoping to cement it as a daily habit. I do see myself as being happier and more grateful for the people and experiences around me. I am excited to be able to look back at my journal in the future to reflect on my past experiences and to see how I grew as a person.