The Benefits of Bullet Journaling: What is it & Does it work?
By: Anna McFillin
The first time I heard of bullet journaling, I thought it was no different from regular journaling. Bullet journaling is a concise, organized collection of any of your to-dos, thoughts, and feelings over the course of time. Bullet journaling is compact, almost like a log. It doesn’t go into depth like a typical journal or, dare I say, diary entry.
“The Bullet Journal is the Meryl Streep of organization; it can take any role you need it to,” from the Lazy Genius. People use bullet journaling for a lot of reasons. One main reason it used is to ease anxiety. Articles from Bustle to Buzzfeed to MindBodyGreen discuss how bullet journaling helps slow down the waves of anxiety.
I am an extremely anxious person. I know that, and I have no shame in it. I know I am not alone, even though my anxiety makes me feel this way. I remember the first time I really felt anxious. I was in the seventh grade and I felt like I couldn’t breathe while I was sitting in the classroom. My heart was racing and my chest continued to tighten. This is a frequent feeling I have felt since that day. I am still working on getting to the root cause of my anxiety, and it is a constant battle I have with myself every day, but I am always looking for calming remedies.
When I found out about bullet journaling not long ago, I was eager to give it a try.
Listing the things you have done, what needs to be done, and acknowledging both the positives and negatives each day are extremely helpful in easing anxiety. I like the most simple form of “bullets” for my categories. A box for things that must be done (check goes through when done), a star of things that are extremely important to get done in my day, a heart for positives, and a dash for negatives.
Pinterest has a lot of ideas on how to get really fancy with your bullet journaling like homemade calendars, table of contents, and indexes, but personally being in college with a busy schedule, I like to keep it simple.
Journaling has always helped me. Being a writer who is (also a Leo) eager to share, when something as personal as mental health issues arise, it is soothing to get my thoughts and feelings off my chest. Now as I am getting older with more responsibilities, I don’t have the time to write long entries, so bullet journaling has definitely been helpful. Not to mention, it is a great tool if you just need to be a bit more organized!
I highly recommend bullet journaling if you are finding this relatable, or just want to try something new! It is helpful, relaxing, and will keep you on track for your busy days!