Journaling Things

A love letter, and a how-to guide

I come from a line of intrinsically beautiful, strong, compassionate, and grounded women whom I admire deeply. And for as long as I could remember, the women who are the absolute closest to me, my Mom and my Nana, have been avid journalers. It wasn’t until I recently that I realized that one of the major reasons why they are always tapped into themselves and their spirituality, compassionate, and strong is because of their consistent habit of journaling.

My Nana gifted me my first journal on my eighth birthday. It was a brown, spiral-bound hard cover journal adorned with my 2nd grade picture in the center. On the first page, my Nana wrote me a beautiful note, encouraging me to take the time to write and express myself and to always be true to myself. I remember my mom shedding tears as she read it for herself. As a fresh eight-year-old, I couldn’t fully comprehend the magnitude of this gift, but I knew that it was something special that needed to be cherished.

Seventeen years later, at age twenty-five, It’s fair to say that journaling is my safe space. I still have that brown spiral journal; it’s all filled out now, along with dozens of others. Journaling has helped me speak life into myself, organize my most sporadic thoughts, and even bring this blog into fruition. Being able to release on an empty page is deeply healing for me, and I will be forever grateful to my Mom and my Nana for being an example and encouraging me to pick up their journaling habit.

Journaling carried me throughout my elementary, middle school, and high school years. I wrote on good days, bad days, when I was bored, and when I would daydream. My journals were my most sacred possession. I didn’t realize it then, but looking back, writing truly helped me during some of my most difficult times during my younger years. I was shy in person (honestly, I still am), and often felt unheard and misunderstood, but I was strong and confident and always my authentic self within the confines of my journals. It felt like a superpower. It allowed me to spend time with and get to know myself in a way that other outlets didn’t always provide. I’m often called an old-soul, and I believe that, similar to my Mom and my Nana, journaling is one of the main reasons why that’s the way that I am.

However, with the loss of my father when I was 19, I dropped the habit completely. Even though a part of me knew that writing would help me work through my difficult emotions, the grief stricken and depressed part of me had me in a chokehold, and I was frozen and defiant to my best judgement. I didn’t want to capture the ugliness on paper. I didn’t want to look back and remember the pain. I wasn’t in a place where I had the strength to push through or think to ask for help. I just wanted to continue to move forward moment by moment and forget.

After some time, I slowly returned to the habit. It was sporadic – I’d be consistent for a few days, and then weeks would go by before I wrote again. I was really hard on myself for not being able to journal consistently the way that I used to. Then it dawned on me that I’ve been keeping myself in a box, and that journaling can be done in many forms. Breaking free from my own mental limitations, I’ve recently been able to pick up the habit again.

Since this blog is all about me being transparent, I’ll be honest with y’all – I’m still not as consistent with journaling the way that I hope to be. But honestly, that’s okay – and if you relate to that with journaling or anything else, just know that its okay for you too. The intention is there, and I believe that that’s worth acknowledging and celebrating.

I know that I am not the only one who has struggled with being consistent. Or maybe, you don’t even know where to begin. I want to share some different journaling techniques, tips, and prompts that have helped me when I’m in a mental journaling rut, and hopefully they’ll be helpful to you as well!

We’re lucky to be living in a point of time where talking about mental health isn’t as taboo as it was nearly 20 years ago. With this change in popular opinion, the practice of journaling is growing more and more popular. You can find a cute journal nearly anywhere now – which for an enthusiast like myself, is quite exciting. It’s essential to remember, however, that the most important part of journaling comes before you buy the fancy pens and funky notebooks. You have to first get in touch with your intentions.

This brings me to the last two tips that I have for yall. First, remember to date your entries, and to look back at what you wrote after some time. What you had to express then deserved space then, and it deserves space now. Consider your journal entries as seeds being planted. One day, they’ll bloom and you’ll feel blessed all over again, maybe even in a new way. Dating your entries also establish tangible checkpoints while you’re on your journey, and help you see just how far you've come over time.

Finally, it’s imperative that you remain kind and gracious to yourself. Don’t make journaling a chore, that takes the fun out of it. If you miss a day or fall off for a bit, that doesn’t mean that you’ve failed yourself. Like the moon, we all go through phases that require different actions from us. Honor yourself and what your soul really needs.

Journaling isn’t about following a specific format or writing about any particular subject – honestly, it’s not about the act of writing at all. I challenge you to consider journaling as an act of love towards both your present and future selves. Like every other act of self-love, showing up for yourself, however that looks, is the most important part of the journey.

I believe in you. Happy Journaling! ∞

Do you journal? Do you have any journaling tips or techniques that help you? Leave a comment, let’s talk about it!