As a college student studying journalism, writing has become an important form of communicating my ideas and feelings and is now a personal art form of mine. As I have become busy with papers, exams, and projects, writing in my spare time has allowed me to release some of the hard things on my mind that are private to me. Often, we forget to sit down and reflect on our days or personal experiences, and not reflecting on these things can make it hard for us to comprehend events or feelings because we are not actively processing them. It can be hard to write about personal things, especially if you are not typically comfortable expressing and discussing feelings openly. This has been a personal struggle for me as well. I often experience writer’s block because I do not know how to put what I feel into words, but once I started writing more, I learned different techniques to improve my writing and journaling process.
entering a sacred place
I am super busy as a college student with classes, work, college events, and church, and sometimes I find it hard to dedicate time to my homework. One way I have been able to complete assignments and find free journaling time has been planning my week out ahead of time; knowing all the places I need to be during a day not only makes sure I am on time, but also that I can work around those times to squeeze in time to relax. When dedicating time to writing, I am able to find a sense of calm when there is nowhere I need to be and I can relax entirely in that space. I often enjoy going to places around campus, such as GCBC, or tables near classrooms to force myself out of bed so my creativity won’t get stuck. This forces me to find places where I enjoy spending time while also being productive.
what to start writing
Often, the most common way I get stuck in writer’s block is by writing about the same topics and style too frequently. Here is a list of different journaling ideas I use to inspire me:
- Writing about my day/week
- Reviewing books
- Recent favorite songs
- Church service summaries
- Starting a guided daily affirmation journal: the five-minute journal is one of my favorites
- Listing things you enjoy or that you are grateful for
One of the most important things to note when you start journaling is that you might feel uncomfortable writing about random things in your life. However, remember that this is a learning process and it takes time; do not quit writing if you are uncomfortable! Eventually, it will start to feel natural when writing, and you might even find yourself relaxing during the writing process.
I think that one of the hardest things is opening up to yourself; the person who knows you the most is you, and writing opens up ideas and thoughts from ourselves we may not previously have been aware of. Journaling is a hobby and obviously not for everyone, but if you decide to give it a try, I definitely think you will learn new things about yourself and create a more positive outlook on your environment and self.