There are times when we have much to say but do not know how to say it or feel comfortable sharing it with anyone, yet we have a strong desire to let our feelings and thoughts out. I found comfort in journaling. When I was younger I tried to keep a diary, but if I am being honest, there was not much to write about and I also just kept on forgetting to update it. However, I took to journaling again in 2019 because I needed an outlet, somewhere I could just spill all my thoughts and feelings without having to explain these feelings to anyone. Here is how journaling has been a positive outlet for me and why I encourage you to try it out.
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There was a point last year where I was not feeling my best, my anxiety was at an all-time high and I was constantly feeling sad. I was not enjoying life, there was a lot of pressure coming from school and my retail job that made me feel extremely anxious. One day at school, I decided that I needed to express my feelings, but I did not know how to describe what I was going through; I also did not think that the people around me would understand why I felt the way I felt. So, I just pulled out a small notebook I had in my backpack and started writing
I felt liberated, I was able to write what my thoughts were without fear that someone would think that I was exaggerating. Writing helped me further expand on what my feelings were and understand why I was feeling that way. This became a very personal and intimate activity for me, a notebook contained all my raw feelings and I was the only one who has access to them; that made me feel a bit powerful.
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Although I have slowed down on updating my journal, it is still something I believe to be extremely helpful for me. Journaling helped me realized that I kept on focusing on the negative things in my life. As I was looking back at things I wrote, I noticed that everything was negative, I began to recognize that I should also be writing about the good things that were happening to me. I wanted to include the good in my life as well because I want my future self to look at these entries and know that good things come after bad times. I also just want to be able to see my progress and look back and how I was feeling during the good moments; I want to see how my hopelessness transformed into hopefulness.
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Journaling has become a trendy activity to do in the past few years, there are many ways to make journaling even more personal. You can doodle and decorate your journal to reflect you, your personality, and feelings even more. Nowadays, you can also find journals that come with topics or questions to write about. This can be a great option for those who do not know how to start a journal or are unsure about what to write about; these are great for getting you to think about things you have never thought about.
It does not matter which journaling option you go with, what matters is that you have an outlet for your thoughts and feelings that you may not want to share, but still want to let out. Journaling can help you piece your thoughts together, help you learn more about yourself or even help you appreciate the good and bad in your life.