How (and Why) To Start Journaling

It just might become your new favorite coping mechanism

I’ve always avoided journaling … out of fear that someone might pick up my journal and read it. How mortifying would it be if my parents read all about my latest crush?? Or if they found out about how stressed I was about a paper I procrastinated? Or what if they read a rant I wrote about one of them? 

Realistically, they would probably never have thought to open my journal (because who would even do that), but I’ve realized that if someone were to read my journal without my permission, they should feel embarrassed about it. Why would they feel proud to have directly invaded someone’s mental space? I have since moved on from that fear (though it definitely helps that I have my own space now and feel like I have control over who can access my stuff). Now that I’ve really committed to journaling as a wellness habit, I’m here to encourage you all to give it a try. 

I am absolutely someone who needs to express what I’m thinking about, otherwise, it’ll just bounce around in my head and distract me from getting anything else done. While I do love sharing everything with my friends and my family, or having a nice little gossip session with my roommate, it’s gratifying to have another outlet sometimes. I’m not always ready to tell everyone about some of the things I’m going through, sometimes I want to work through it but don’t really want anyone else’s opinion on it yet. Journaling has offered the perfect way to vent, reflect and move forward from the constant stream of thoughts and anxieties in my head. 

There are hundreds of journal prompt ideas online and it may benefit you to follow some structure to get started, but I’ve found the most therapeutic feelings come through “stream of consciousness” writing. I like to write out whatever I’m thinking about, whether it’s an overanalysis of an interaction I had with someone earlier that day or just my plans for the upcoming weekend. For the stream of consciousness style specifically, it’s sometimes easier and/or more beneficial to type your journal entry rather than handwrite it for speed purposes. If you’re able to type substantially faster than write, then I’d recommend it. I often find myself getting distracted in the middle of a much-needed study session and heading over to the random Google Doc hidden deep inside my Google Drive to vent it all out.  

Journaling is an excellent way to get to know yourself in a truly creative and honest way. I’ve discovered that it’s also helped strengthen my memory. The last few years I’ve noticed myself completely forgetting about several significant memories until someone reminded me of them, and I regularly feel haunted by the idea that I’ve probably forgotten some really excellent days or some absolutely hilarious memories that I’ll never get back. But throughout the past few months, I’ve been writing all about my mundane day-to-day experiences, as well as the more exciting and noteworthy things I’ve encountered. I imagine it’ll be a candid and sincere way to track my growth over the course of however long I’m able to maintain this habit (let’s hope for at least the next several years … until I discover a different coping mechanism I like better). 

For something as simple as pen and paper, you’d be surprised at all the ways it’ll benefit you. I absolutely suggest that you give it a try because seriously, what do you have to lose? A foolproof approach for beginners is just to list out the things you’re grateful for. I encourage you to think of things that are super specific, or the things that made your day a little easier today, rather than the more broad or vague concepts. In my latest gratitude journal, some of the more notable things on my list included, “that my coffee mug fits in the cup holder in my car so I don’t have to hold it while I drive”, and “that I had enough time to finish my laundry before class”. Whether you choose to handwrite or type, to create a stream of consciousness or gratitude journal, promise me you’ll try journaling. Best of luck!!!    

• Journal
• reflection
• writing