How Journaling Will Help You Beat the 2025 Winter Slump

I love journaling, and if you’re uneasy about starting a ‘diary’ as a college student, I am here to tell you all of the reasons it just might be your one-way ticket out of your winter funk. It just might change your life. 

I’m not even being dramatic, it is oh-so-good for your mental health.

I began journaling when I was in second grade. While many journal-ers stand by daily journal entries, that has never been my style. Spilling out my thoughts and feelings only feels good when I want to, so I reserve it for those extra emotional days when I need to take time for myself or have something interesting enough to write about to document it for the future. 

My favorite part of having my thoughts in writing is that I have books lying around that mark my development, especially my emotional development. I can flip back to eighth-grade me, and reminisce on how fun-loving, energetic, or even self-centered I was at times. That is documented growth. Since I only write when my feelings are spilling from me, I also have some crazy stories with highs and lows documented. I know for a fact I will be cracking open my college journals to show my future teenage daughter just how human we all are. 

So if you’re not already sold, I am going to seal the deal with my six reasons you should journal this winter, and how you can start today. 

1. Emotional outlet: Being a college girl can be a lot emotionally. It is the first time many of us are on our own, our classes are difficult, and we are putting our heart and soul into nurturing healthy friendships and relationships all while our brains are rapidly developing. Journaling helps to get some of those feelings out and is an alternative to explaining the same situation over and over to the same friend (which can be great, too). It allows for a method of self-soothing.
2. Creativity: Once the fast-paced life that is college starts up, it feels all too natural to put a lot of creative passions to the side. If this is you, journaling is a low-time commitment option for staying connected with your creative side. 
3. Future keepsake: My journals are my most prized possessions and contain my most memorable moments. If you keep one, I am already certain you will be pulling it out to show your friends, significant others, or families of the future.
4. Self-reflection: Journaling is one of the only ways you can dive into your past emotional states, and it allows you to track your progress in a meaningful way. Everyone says a picture can say 1000 words, but in an emotional sense, a picture effectively says 0. You should write those words and cherish them. 
5. Goal setting: Journaling encourages goal-setting and goal-reaching. In moments when I feel lost or without direction, I open up a blank page and try to recalibrate. When I flip back to the goals I wrote in those states of self-doubt, I am always shocked to see how many boxes I ticked off. 
6. Perspective: In my opinion, it is really easy to lose perspective while surrounded by so many amazing people at college. Sometimes you look at things in your life so zeroed in that all you see is one petal of a beautiful flower. Journaling gives you context and the opportunity to connect dots looking backward in your life. 

Soooo… How do you start, you may ask??

1. Get your supplies! You really only need two things- a journal, and a writing utensil of your choice. I write with pens and pencils, nothing crazy. Amazon and Target have some great options for both journals and pens and if you’re feeling really passionate, you can find some kits that have even more fun bonuses (like stickers!).
2. Choose your journal type. While I focus my journal on my goals and my feelings, there are a million amazing options, like dream journals, bullet journals, gratitude journals, travel journals, etc. Journaling is for everyone at every stage. Take a look at this article for some more journal inspo! 
3. Make time for yourself and start writing! That’s it! Now all you need to do is give yourself the space to start:))

Happy writing—let’s beat the winter slump together! <3

• #journal
• creative
• journaling
• mentalhealth
• selfcare
• selflove