As the Thanksgiving holiday ends, and Christmas decorations start popping up in every streaming ad, the weight of winter blues starts to settle on many students’ shoulders. I’m sure many of you are familiar with the feeling: when your body starts to lag, along with the shortening days, and everything just feels a little too grueling for what’s supposed to be the holly-jolly time of year. While this emotion is not uncommon, it can often still feel devastatingly lonely. This is why it becomes essential to start building a space where you can slow down and process the heavy emotions that come with the holiday season, and there is no better way than journaling.
No Pressures, Just your Pages
Many people often feel intimidated by the process of journaling when they first start. I mean, I sure did: with the thousands of videos all over the internet of pretty girls with pretty pens writing in pretty journals over their morning matcha lattes, there can be a lot of pressure to make your journal some grand, polished product of your innermost thoughts. But the truth is that journaling is messy. The process of organizing your thoughts and emotions into a written stream of thoughts is a learned skill, but the beauty of journals is that they don’t need to be aesthetic or articulate, just a reflection of you. Journaling is messy because emotions are messy, and that’s okay!
Pen to Paper, Passion to Peace
If you’re feeling stuck on what to write about, feel free to find some fun prompts to get your brain into gear. Much like how someone might go for a run when they have too much energy, your brain needs exercise too when it feels emotionally pent-up. Like physical exercise, some may find that getting started with the task can be tricky if it’s not a regular habit. So, I’ve listed below some of my personal favorite prompts to get you started!
1. What do I need more of in life? Is there an emptiness somewhere in your life you have yet to pinpoint?
2. What was an interaction with a stranger that made you feel good? It could have been a funny encounter or a heartfelt compliment, but either way, you felt strangely nice after?
3. If you could spawn any single person (alive or dead) right in front of you, who would it be and what would you say to them?
4. What’s your ideal daydreaming scenario that you’ve been going back to a lot lately? Is it a maladaptive space opera or a cozy romcom reverie?
5. How have your beliefs changed since starting college? Many people get exposed to many different perspectives when entering the greater world, and often it leads to new outlooks on life.
6. If you tend to think overly negatively, write about some of the pros life has for you right now. Are there any movies or special holiday flavors you’re looking forward to trying? How can you appreciate the smaller things in life?
7. Track your mood throughout the day at least once or twice a week. Are there common times when you tend to feel the best or the worst? How can your routine influence your mood patterns?
You deserve Kindness year-round.
If you decide to take up journaling this winter season, it is important to remember that all versions of you, even the gloomy one in December, deserve the same attention year-round. At the end of the day, we are all animals with needs like almost everything else on this earth. To replenish your mind, you must be willing to entertain it and understand it, as our brain tends to reflect deeper needs we may have not yet confronted. So, pick up your journal and get cozy with your feelings, because it’s time to relax and give your mind some much-needed TLC. To treat your mind is to treat yourself, as you deserve the same compassion you give others.