Amy, writer of Inside Amy’s Mind said it best: “If I kept all of these thoughts to myself I’d go crazy.”
She gets it.
After journaling for about 6 years, it wasn’t until a couple of months ago that I fully understood why it is so beneficial to my overall health. In simplest terms, it keeps me from going crazy. I dump all my thoughts onto paper. The pages of my journals know all of me- who I was, who I am, and who I will be. More than anyone on this earth will ever know.
Okay, reading that some of you may think I’m already crazy…
This person I had just met recently told me I look that the type to keep a diary. The word diary use to make me cringe. It made me cringe because it sounded unserious and childlike, so I always referred to writing in a small book that only I could see as a journal. I have a total of 9 hardcopy journals. Two backups just in case 9 aren’t enough you know?
I have a dump journal
Prayer journal
Music journal
Business journal
Fact journal
*breathes*
Bullet
Goals
Gratitude and
Relationship
My soul guides me to the book that needs my imprint. I write mainly in my prayer and business journal.
I started in 8th grade when my mother first introduced me to bullet journaling. She introduced this next-level diary with excitement. I would never forget the day I was sitting when my mother walked in with a big blank notebook with a cute girlish design. She told me she had read on some news site about bullet journaling and how it would be a way to be organized while having creativity and fun. This was music to my ears because I have enjoyed writing lists and calendars for as long as I can remember. Bullet-journaling was everything she said. I had made my unique calendar with personal colors and quotes to keep me organized. But it was time-consuming for me. I had about 20 pages in that journal dedicated to a diary portion and realized it wasn’t enough space. So I decided not to force myself with Bullet-Journaling and used an old notebook dedicated to the thoughts I wrote in my diary section. And this is when my journey began writing itself (get the joke). Fast forward to the present day, I have learned so much about myself and my values in the process of journaling. If it had not been for this writing system, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.
That journal I tasked myself with was written daily affirmations from a Christian girl’s devolutional book. I am a visual and verbal learner. Reading such motivational and encouraging messages was simply not enough for it to stay with me. So as I read, I wrote. I recorded how the message made me feel. An important part of journaling I have learned is the time in which you choose to write. For those devotionals, I would write as soon as I got home from school and on the weekends in the mornings because it set an optimistic mood for the day.
Journaling aided in making me become a better person. Self-awareness is key to anyone in life if they want to live a bountiful life. The ability to reflect on your state of mind and identify your wants/needs will lead you to understand your strengths/weaknesses which, if put into practice can help you play a vital role in society and in taking charge of your life. My method was this: write how I feel + pray + read devotional = action plan for tackling the nonsense this life has in store.
I can say 100% attest that journaling changes your mood. If I started writing how sad I felt, I would not feel as bad as I did up my pencil at the end of however many pages I wrote to process my feelings and before picking thoughts.
Yes, I write hard copy. The feeling is just different. Feeling the pages skim my hand as the pencil swims across the pages is such a blessing. If you want to tap into this blessing, I suggest getting started.
Go to local marshalls, tjmax, Burlington, or any place that sells blank notebooks. If you think you would prefer a template and don’t want to sketch it out, then those stores listed should also have guided journals for you to purchase. If you need any help in finding the one that best fits you, please feel free to message me and we can find it together! Journaling can feel a bit overwhelming but that’s just part of the growing pains in this new endeavor.
I recommend beginning with a gratitude journal. Gratitude is one of the best medicines. It instills hope. Amid a difficult season in my life, taking a moment to see all the good I have gives me an acknowledgment that I have faced difficult seasons before and have gotten through them so whatever challenge is happening now will soon come to pass. I have a journal with two repetitive entries from the beginning to the end: WHAT AM I THANKFUL FOR TODAY? And 3 WONDERFUL THINGS THAT HAPPENED TODAY:
I like to do this right in the morning after I wake up, pray and shower because although I have yet to face the world, in the 15min I have been awake so much beautiful has happened.
I have clean water to clean myself and have well hygiene
I have all my senses
God saw me through the night and protected my dreams so I can rest peacefully and be energized for the day ahead
JUST WRITE IT. FEELING OVERWHELMED GRAB A PENCIL AND PAPER AND WRITE. It will open up your mind and help you see past whatever you are facing. Your secrets are safe with the pages. One of the most rewarding feelings is finishing a journal and reading what you have written. I have read some journal entries where I have been what I considered to be my lowest and I just laugh because what I thought was my lowest gets knocked down often by some other nonsense.
Life is a rollercoaster. Some of us just enjoy the ride and others hold on to the memories through videos and pictures. I hold onto those memories with a pencil and paper and I think you should too ;)
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