My resolution for the past three or four years has been to start journaling every day. Social media creators, especially recently, have been promoting journaling left and right. Whether it be to capture memories, promote creativity, or simply sort through your thoughts, the benefits seem endless. The merits are constantly advertised, so why have I had so much trouble being consistent?
New Year’s resolutions feel daunting a lot of the time, especially when they involve new daily habits. Although journaling can be as quick as five minutes a day, implementing those five minutes into your daily routine is not always simple; this becomes even harder to accomplish as a college student whose schedule constantly changes. To help minimize the pressure and finally successfully journal, I have decided not to journal daily. At least not right now. Instead of feeling like I already failed my resolution, only a few days into the New Year, I am allowing myself to take my time with journaling and actually enjoy the process. It no longer feels like I have a homework assignment that I forgot about, but rather that I simply might not have had anything I needed to write down that day.
With that being said, I find that it can be helpful to start with a prompt when journaling, so here are a few simple ideas:
- What is one moment that brought you joy today?
- What events are you looking forward to this month?
- What songs have felt impactful to you recently and why?
- Who are you most grateful to have in your life today?
- How would you describe your day in one word and why?
Whether your resolutions are related to journaling or not, remember, building habits takes time, and that’s okay!