For the past few months, I’ve spent time writing in a journal every night before I go to sleep. At first, I wasn’t sure if I would get anything out of it. For me, journaling started off as just a way to document my emotions and keep track of the memories I was making in college. However, after three months of writing down whatever comes to mind at the end of every day, I’ve realized that it’s impacted me in more ways than one.
It helps me reflect on the positives of my day.
Although it hurts to admit, I tend to be a pessimistic person. Looking at life through a lens of negativity isn’t very healthy or fulfilling, so journaling each day helps me work towards being more positive. Writing down at least one good thing that happened in my day makes me take the necessary time to reflect on just how great my life actually is, despite all of the little things that can make me feel down on myself or be envious of others. When I’m having a particularly bad day, I like to flip through the pages of my journal and read about all the good things there are to celebrate each day because tomorrow’s always another day.
It helps me recognize my emotions why I may be feeling a certain way.
Being in college can be HARD. Juggling school work, a social life, possible jobs or internships, as well as adult responsibilities like doing your laundry every week (here’s a friendly reminder; wash your sheets!) it’s easy to become overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions. One of the reasons I like journaling is because it gives me the chance to pause in order to identify those feelings. Why am I feeling so stressed out today? What made me feel so energized and happy yesterday? These are examples of questions that I’m able to answer now that I journal. By writing my thoughts down, I’ve become more in tune with how daily interactions and activities impact me, and what I can do to ensure I’m getting the most out of my college experience.
It gives me an outlet to express myself without fearing judgment.
Too often in high school, I felt that if I spoke out about how I was feeling, my peers would then judge me for problems that they deemed insignificant. I remember feeling scared to ask my friends for advice because they always seemed to be complaining to me about their own issues. Because of individuals like this, it can seem discouraging and deter someone from discussing what’s happening in their life. However, this is where journaling comes in for me.
Journaling gives me the opportunity to literally talk about anything I want without worrying about what others around me are going to think. Because it’s just a conversation with me, myself, and I, I’m able to write freely and without concerning myself with explaining myself to others. I have the ability to write about whatever is stressing me out and whatever is irritating me from the day, and there’s no one to tell me I’m being over-dramatic. It’s honestly liberating.
There’s no rules.
When I say there’s no rules, I mean there are literally no guidelines to how you journal. Are you the type of person who needs to doodle up and down the margins and write in all sorts of crazy ways? That’s great. Are you the type of person who needs the layout of each page perfect and pristine? Or do you need to rip parts of each page apart? That’s okay too. Honestly, whatever works for you individually is the way you need to approach it. That’s what makes the process so beneficial; you can tailor it to fit what you need.
Journaling has become an essential part of my routine. It has become a way to navigate my time in college with more awareness into my own brain, and it doesn’t hurt to write about all of the fun memories you made to reminisce about later on. Journaling is the gateway to a special kind of transformation, and can leave you ending (or starting) each day with a new sense of fulfillment.