We all know how it goes – you buy a cute notebook and a matching pen when you’re thirteen and heartbroken and vow to write your deepest secrets in it every day for the rest of your life. But, if you’re anything like me, you don’t. Here’s a few reasons why you should think about trying to salvage that dusty old notebook and start journaling again.
1) Do it for the memories!
I kept a journal for a brief period of time when I was about ten years old. Looking through it is at the same time, the most excruciating yet fulfilling experience I could ask for. Among the many descriptions of the plight of the millennial ten-year-old are several gems like “Dear Journal, I’m bored of you now, so my mom is going to throw you away,” which is the last entry in the quarter-filled notebook. Looking back, I wish I had more of these memories to reminisce over. I think it’s so interesting that a journal can capture so much of the person you used to be, and chronicle how much you’ve grown.
2) Do it any way you want!
There are so many ways you could get into journaling these days. You could go digital with blogs, or journaling apps or even on a private Instagram page. On the other hand, if you prefer the feel of physically writing your thoughts in a notebook, you could try starting a bullet journal, which is a quick, fuss-free way of getting your thoughts down. With both mediums, you can modify amount of time you want to spend, how much you want to write, how often you want to write – the way you journal is entirely up to you! Something that often stops people from journaling is the idea that they have to write about their “feelings.” I personally doing this, but if it doesn’t suit you, you could always start a gratitude journal, or a dream journal, or even a “one-line-a-day journal”. The possibilities are endless.
3) It’s great for mental health!
A journal is a great space to vent all of your frustrations without fear of being judged. Writing down your thoughts, feelings and ideas is so therapeutic. It definitely helps to get tough stuff off your chest, and make you feel a lot better afterwards.
4) It’s great for creativity!
If you are an aspiring writer, keeping a journal can be so helpful in trying to find interesting bits of material that you could write about. Sometimes, you come across something that could potentially be great in a short story, or a poem but you forget about it. Keeping a journal is one way that you could prevent that from happening. Looking through an old journal can often inspire ideas that never have occurred to you if you hadn’t. It also definitely helps you to get into the swing of writing every day.
5) It’s a great excuse to buy cute stationery!
Matching pens and notebooks, adorable erasers, tiny pastel colored highlighters… Need I say more?
Get yourself a journal today and see for yourself, how great it feels! I hoped this has helped make the decision of whether or not to start a journal easier if you were on the fence. Get writing – you won’t regret it!