New year, new me right?
I have always wanted to get into journaling but I was never able to set time aside from my chaotic schedule in high school and in college especially. With a few new tries (and many failed attempts), I could not do more than three days in a row of consistent journaling.
It wasn’t until the “that girl” trend blew up on TikTok in 2021, which immediately popularized journaling as an essential part of the trend. As I continued to scroll through copious amounts of videos of many routines that claim to be a part of the trend, I started to pick up on one common journal that these people had.
The Five Minute Journal (which I found on Amazon) focuses on gratitude and reflection and is supposed to help with overall mental health and starting the day off with a positive attitude.
I did not know if I was going to be able to go past my three-day streak of writing in a journal but a week later I would say that so far, I am fairly successful. The journal only asks that you write five days but I continuously look forward to writing in each and every morning as a way to clear my head before the day starts.
The journal starts off with a daily quote and you are able to write down 3 things you are grateful for, 3 things that would make today great, and lastly a daily affirmation. It is incredibly simple but effective and allows me to truly appreciate the day to come.
At night (which is usually when I tend to forget), I found that putting it near my bed helps and because the night portion is quick, I do not dread writing in it. For the night portion of the journal, you write down 3 highlights of the day and one thing you learned which is a perfect opportunity to reflect on everything that made the day a good one (or small moments that brought a smile to your face on the bad ones).
This journal has allowed me to take a small moment of the day for myself in midst of the new year chaos, so whether it is trying the five-minute journal or a small walk to clear your head, remember that it is okay to be a little selfish with your time.