My first experience with journaling did not end well! When I was around eight or nine years old, I had this pink Minnie Mouse diary with a lock. I used to write about my crush, my friend drama, and all the very serious things going on in my third-grade life. And then one day, my brother decided to be nosy, broke the lock, read it, and proceeded to tease me about my crush for way too long. Safe to say, that kind of ruined journaling for me.
After that, I had another diary in my pre-teen years, and if I’m being honest, it was full of the most dramatic thoughts ever. Reading it back now is almost embarrassing, but also weirdly comforting. There’s something so specific about being able to see exactly how you felt at that age, especially because those emotions feel so intense and hard to describe in the moment. I’m actually really glad I have that version of myself documented.
Still, as I got older, journaling started to feel kind of pointless. I liked the idea of capturing memories, like making little videos or keeping track of moments, but sitting down to write everything out felt like too much effort. Or maybe I was just lazy. Or skeptical. Probably both.
Recently, though, I found myself with way too many thoughts in my head and nowhere to put them. I kept overthinking things, replaying moments, and also forgetting how I even felt about certain situations in the first place. My best friend kept telling me to just write things down when I feel overwhelmed, because then that energy is not just stuck in your head anymore, it’s going somewhere.
After a recent emotional breakdown, I ended up at Muji, bought a small notebook and pen (their paper is so smooth and nice to write on), and started journaling again.
At first, it felt exactly how I expected. Kind of awkward, kind of unnecessary. I didn’t suddenly become this deep, reflective person. Most of my entries are literally just jotting notes. Sometimes it’s a quick summary of my day. Sometimes it’s something random and unhinged, like my poop was an interesting colour today. And then at other times it’s just chaotic emotions all over the page.
But that’s kind of why it works for me.
Keeping it in that messy, jot note style makes it feel way less intimidating. I don’t feel like I have to write full paragraphs or make anything sound meaningful. I can just write whatever comes to mind, even if it’s repetitive or doesn’t fully make sense.
Over time, I actually started looking forward to it.
Not in a I must journal every day kind of way, but more like it’s there when I need it. Some days I write a lot, some days I don’t write at all. Full disclosure: It’s been a couple of days since my last entry, and honestly, that’s fine. I know I’ll come back to it. There’s no pressure.
And I think that’s the part people get wrong about journaling.
It doesn’t have to be consistent. It doesn’t have to be deep. It doesn’t have to look like those perfectly curated pages you see online. It can be random, dramatic, boring, or even kind of stupid. It still does something.
For me, it just helps get things out of my head. Even if nothing is solved, it feels like I’m not carrying everything around in my mind anymore. And weirdly, it also helps me remember things better, like how I actually felt in certain moments instead of just forgetting or rewriting it in my head later.
If you think journaling is cringe or not for you, I get it. I thought the same thing.
But if your brain feels full all the time, or you just want a place to put your thoughts without overthinking how they sound, it might be worth trying. Even if it’s just one random sentence a day.
Worst case, you end up with something funny to read back on later. Best case, it actually helps more than you expected.