Oh, college— it’s that time of our lives when we have three assignments and a midterm all due in the same week, yet we still manage to go out on the weekend. Not to mention having to deal with work, friendships, relationships, and anything else that takes up space in our brains. When you think about it, we have so many responsibilities apart from school, yet we still manage to get things done on time. However, all these things can come at a cost, and sometimes that cost is our mental health. I can attest that juggling all these responsibilities has caused me to put myself on the back burner, which is why I found the perfect way to give myself some time to breathe during these chaotic times: journaling.
Now I know what you’re thinking: journaling, as in writing in your diary? Well, yes and no. There are many different ways to journal, but as long as it makes you relax, then you’ll find what works best for you. So, here are five reasons why you should take on journaling in the midst of these stressful times.
- IT Helps with your mental health
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As I mentioned before, it’s so easy to deprioritize ourselves while trying to balance work, school, a social life, and more. This can lead us to neglect our mental health and put us in a bad headspace. Of course, this is the last thing we want, regardless of how much work we have to do. So, I found that taking a quick moment to journal when my mind is going a million miles per hour, is a great way to ground myself and slow down. There’s no point in being productive and acing all our tests if it’s detrimental to our wellbeing and quite frankly our sanity. If I take five or thirty minutes to write my thoughts down, it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. If you don’t know where to start, here are some basic prompts that I come back to whenever I’m feeling a little stuck with journaling.
- Serves as a creative outlet
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When you hear the word “journal,” is the first thing you think of a diary with daily entries talking about your day? Well, I’m sorry to tell you, but you’re wrong. A journal can be anything from a notebook of doodles to a Word document you type in every day, and frankly, that’s the beauty of it. We all have different ways we like to relax and let our feelings out, so everyone’s journaling process will look a little different. There’s a misconception that journaling is boring and tedious, but not if you make it your own. A fun way that I like to journal is to write down whatever show or movie I’m currently watching and explain why I like it and what I should take away from it. Now, this doesn’t have to be anything serious, (I’ve written about Keeping Up with the Kardashians) but as long as it brings you joy and lets you express yourself then that’s the way to go.
- MAKES you more comfortable with writing
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As college students, we are no strangers to writing. Whether it be a quick text or a five-page essay, writing is something we do every day that we tend to look over. Getting comfortable with our writing can help us in so many different ways. It can help with assignments, conversations, self-expression, and really anything that requires words. Personally, I’m really into creative writing and I find that journaling sometimes leads to me writing poems or getting inspiration for a short story. Now if this isn’t your thing, that’s totally fine. However, getting comfortable with putting your thoughts into words is a very valuable skill that can come in handy when you least expect it.
- You ARE your only reader
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If it’s hard to grasp the appeal of journaling, think of it like having a conversation with a friend (this friend being yourself). We worry so much in our day-to-day lives, whether it’s wondering if our outfit looks good or if we said the wrong thing in class, that it’s easy to overthink and keep our thoughts to ourselves. Fortunately, this doesn’t matter when you’re journaling. No one else is going to read your thoughts so you can be completely honest and let all your feelings out (and I mean all your feelings). I’ve had many moments where I’ve had so much on my mind, but I knew that verbalizing my thoughts wasn’t the right move, so instead I chose to write them down. Not only can journaling serve as a relaxing experience, but it can be a cathartic one, which we all need once in a while.
- You can look back on your growth
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Undoubtedly, my favorite part about journaling is re-reading all of my entries and seeing how much I’ve grown. It can be so funny and endearing to see what the past version of myself was going through, and it can really put things into perspective. It makes you realize how quickly things change and that whatever you’re worried about at the moment can be completely irrelevant in the next month or so. As humans, there is one thing that is constant in our lives, and that is change. It can be scary to not know what’s coming next, but if you switch that perspective, it can be seen as exciting. There is so much more to experience, so whatever you’re going through just know that things can change overnight and that nothing heals as well as time.
Wow, I’m suddenly inspired to journal after writing all of that! But on a real note, it’s important to take care of ourselves all the time, especially during college when there are so many changes and uncertainties in our lives. Journaling is such a good way to take care of your mind because it gives you a break from all the craziness in our environment. Think of it as watching a show or even scrolling through TikTok— it’s a way to let your mind relax while also serving as self-care.