“Dear Diary …”
A phrase often associated with the female gender. At some point in our lives, we have all gushed on paper about our latest crush or vented our frustration that a friend is ditching us for the popular girls. What makes writing down our experiences so cathartic?
I asked a friend why she likes to keep a journal.
“I can get my emotions, thoughts and experiences out without being judged and know that they will be kept secret,” she said. “I love looking back at what I have learned through words and doodles I draw. I have looked back to when I was in elementary school and read, ‘I HATE DREW’ taking up half of a diary page and in high school during a time where I was struggling with friendships and seeing how far I have come and what I felt then.
“I also am inspired by my grandma because, even though she has passed away, I have read her journal and have been taken on a journey to the past, and I have gotten to know her more through that than by the few times I spent with her growing up.”
A journal is extremely personal and everyone writes differently. There are also different means to record your thoughts. Personally (and a little embarrassing to admit), I have written in letter form to my future husband using my computer. In my mind, a password-protected computer is more secure than notebooks I’d used in the past.
Another way to journal is to do it among your friends. Back in middle school, and even in high school, a couple of friends and I kept a collective journal of sorts. We would share what drama we were currently working through — whether at home or at school — and offer each other encouragement and advice. We would pass it on in between classes and at lunch. We certainly never had to worry about getting caught passing notes! When my friends and I like to reminisce about the “good old days,” we sometimes pull out those journals and have a laugh over our teenage crises.
So go journal away, HC readers!