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Wellness

Here’s Why You Need to Start Journaling

Lauren Tucker
Yilan Yang
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Harvard chapter.

Tucked in my bookshelf is my small blue book: my name embossed on the front, scuffs, and ink smudge all of the covers. This tiny blue book is a cryptic narrative of my life. 

It’s not a diary; it’s more than that. My journal is my mind spilled out onto lined pages.

Here’s why I journal:

I love my family. I love my friends. I am comfortable sharing, but there is something different speaking to the empty pages of your journal. It doesn’t judge, it doesn’t ask questions. It accepts your thoughts, questions, and stories as they come. 

My journal has become a textbook for my own life. Reading past entries I am reminded of my pain, I am proud to see my own growth, and sometimes just have a good laugh at moments I wrote about. I learn more about myself as I flip through its pages.

Sometimes you just have to write down a crazy story. Sometimes it takes writing down the situation for you to realize you sound absolutely insane. Other times you don’t realize something hurt you until you see the words on paper. Sometimes the world seems so complicated. Sometimes you have to collect your life and review your 10-year plan. Losing a friend hurts and you need to reflect. Sometimes you meet a person who brings light into your life. There are some moments in life that feel so perfect you want to bottle up its magic and keep it on your shelf. That is the beauty of journaling. It becomes a collection of bottled thoughts and memories.

There is a certain magic of feelings and memories nebulously existing in your mind and in heart, but there comes a gratifying understanding in being able to reify your feelings and lessons.

Journaling can take any form you need. I have experimented with everything from a storytelling narrative style, to journaling, to random quotes, to my new favorite, picto journaling, where I just draw scenes from my day. 

Developing an introspective truth is what I am most proud of. Knowing yourself is the biggest flex.

So give it a try. See yourself learn more about yourself, the world and the people around you.

If you are just getting started… here are some prompts to get those introspective juices flowing

  • Make a list of people whose name makes you smile

  • Write about a person who makes you 

  • What do all of your friends have in common

  • What is one thing in the world you wish would change

  • These are the words by which I live…

  • Running lists

    • A  playlist of my life

    • Places of meaning

    • Things that make you happy

    • People for whom you are thankful

  • What scares you the most?

  • What are you most excited about?

  • What do you miss? Why did you let it go?

Lauren Tucker

Harvard '22

Lauren Tucker, of Long Island, NY, is a sophomore at Harvard University studying Neuroscience and Religion. On campus, she he is a research intern at Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School, on the board for the Harvard Science Club for Girls, a member of the Crimson Key Society, and a member of the Crimson Medical Mentorship Program. In her free time, Lauren loves to write poetry, paint, draw and eat out with her friends.
I am a senior at Harvard College studying Applied Mathematics with a specialization in Economics, and I am planning on getting a language citation in Spanish. I am currently a co-president and campus correspondent of Harvard's chapter of Her Campus! I am also a committee chair of a student organization that works with University Health Services called HealthPALs (Peer Advisors and Liaisons). Additionally, I am a member and co-director of service in OAASIS (Organization of Asian American Sisters in Service). Apart from that, I spend a lot of my time as a Learning Lab Undergraduate Fellow at the Harvard Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning. I am also the co-founder of a project at the Office of Diversity of Inclusion at Harvard. I am super passionate about math, health, and higher education! In my free time I love to work out, experiment with makeup and fashion, visit museums, and try new foods!