In many TV shows and movies, you’ll see a reoccurring theme: a teenage girl with a diary or journal. Through watching many of these shows and films, I came to the conclusion that as a teen girl, a diary was an important necessity in this crazy world. I mean, who else would want to listen to the ramblings of my mind?
I have tried unsuccessfully over the years to keep a journal. My most elaborate effort took place at the start of my senior year of high school. I bought a notebook specifically to document this important year in my life, and I told myself I would sit down everyday for a few minutes and write down what happened and what I was feeling.
That lasted for literally two days.
The first day that I skipped writing, I felt really guilty. I was breaking this promise to myself, but I literally had no time. I told myself that I would write a little extra the next time. I didn’t. Somewhere in my room, that journal with only two pages of writing is collecting dust.
For college, I really wanted to try again with a daily journal. Here I was, going through this huge lifestyle change, and I figured that this would be the only way to sort out my feelings.
But again, I could just not handle writing everyday. Some days, there was simply nothing to write about. Once again, I felt guilty all over again for not writing. However, here’s what I realized: you don’t have to write everyday to have a successful journal.
For me, it’s worth it to write when your feelings are heightened and have something to say. I feel like the best and only way to calm myself down is to talk through my thoughts. Sometimes though, I don’t want people to know what I am feeling, and that’s where writing comes in. It’s a great way to cope with everyday life.
Even though I only write when I feel I need to, I feel like that enough is the purpose of journaling. It’s quality over quantity.
I also learned over this past year of journaling that it does not have to be neat. I know bullet journaling is the new fad, but to me, it is super impractical and inauthentic. For some of my entries, my handwriting has been so messy due to heightened anxiety. When I flip through the pages every so often, I am instantly transported back to that moment when I wrote it. If it was neat and perfect (which could also happen if I typed my entries instead of handwriting them), I wouldn’t feel as much emotion reading it back.
In my opinion, writing a journal is cathartic and interesting. No matter how big or small you think your problems in life may be, journaling is something that anyone can do to help with the troubles they are experiencing. Over the past year, I have seen major improvements in my mental well being due to journaling, and I aspire to continue to document the highs and lows of my life for years to come.
HC XOXO,
Danielle