A few years ago I was extremely into journaling and reflected on my day in each entry. At the end of the year I would sit down and read each entry I wrote to myself and acknowledge how much I have grown. More recently, I have found that I don’t have as much time to write a journal entry every day, but I have still found another way to remember my year.
Two years ago I found myself on Pinterest and saw a pin about writing a short note each day for the whole year. Originally, I had kept my notes in a shoe box under my bed, but this past year I stored them all in a jar that I had on my shelf to remind myself to write.
When I first started, I figured it would be easy because I could write anything on that note. From one word to fifty, if I wrote small enough. It was an easier way for me to reflect at the end of each day without a literal play-by-play of what I did on each day of the year. On top of writing, I would add little souvenirs such as ticket stubs or key chains.
It was the best feeling to sit down on New Years Eve and read all my notes. This upcoming year could be interesting as we will still be living in the pandemic. It has been something that has pushed me to keep writing and find the little things in each day, especially since quarantine days were pretty similar to each other.
If every day isn’t something you can commit to, you could write notes of all the best things that happen in the year, so when you read through them you will be reading your highlights of the year.
Another idea includes two jars for your notes. The first is all the good things that have happened, anything you want to write about from positives to achievements to little things that made you happy. The second is for all the lows and bad days. If everyone could have a perfect life with no obstacles to overcome, then we would be living in a completely different society. This jar is a reminder of all the negatives, evil and bad things you had to go through to become the person you are at the end of the year. This jar can be shredded or tossed into a fire to help you remember that at the end of the year you are a different person than you were at the start. Being able to acknowledge each high and low makes you strong. This second jar may be more full than the first, but if you keep up with this year after year, things will change. It’s all in how you view and live life.
While there are many ways to reflect on your year, it is always good to do something. Start the year strong and push yourself to write down things you want to remember. A study even found that spending a few minutes jotting down the day’s positive events can help you to detach from work and lower stress levels. So, even if writing isn’t for you, it is definitely a way to de-stress and have a bit of alone time in your day.