The joys of journaling

Posted on Nov 19 2021 by Asirah
Journals and pencils

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All aboard the journaling bandwagon!

Journaling, in my opinion, is just a grown-up version of keeping a diary. OMG, remember those diaries we used to have with locks on them? Why did we think our proclamations of love towards the Jonas Brothers were top secret information? 

But nonetheless, I remember what fun it was to write about everything in the pages of those unfinished notebooks from daily entries (which lasted like 3 days max) to song lyrics (Taylor, if you ever need a ghostwriter, 10-year-old Asirah wrote some Grammy-worthy songs about chasing fame). I took journaling seriously when I was 13 and it was the best decision I’ve ever made!

Here’s why:

  1. I find that when I’m overthinking something, writing those thoughts down onto paper helps me rationalise my mind. It helps me to (quite literally) take a couple of steps back and look at what I’ve written. Most of the time it makes me realise that my problems aren’t even as bad as my brain made them out to be.
  2. It also serves as a good distraction for when I need to pull myself away from my laptop and phone. Staring at a screen for most of the day not only strains my eyes but it gives me a massive headache too, so I like to go analog and reach for my journal instead when I’m on my breaks. I’ll put on my playlist and do a little collage work or even doodle some pictures (it turns out bad most of the time but who cares, right?). 
  3. Finally, it’s nice to have a medium where I can document my memories and thoughts. I guess I’m just a sentimental person. It’s like how some people have memory boxes where they keep their knick-knacks and receipts from 20 years ago. I love being able to open the journal that I wrote when I was 14 and take a trip down memory lane – laughing at my own lame jokes and realising just how much things can change in the span of 6 years. 

I implore you to pick up a journal. Especially now that we’re about to get into summer break. I bet you will have lots of places to visit and memories that are yet to be made which should be documented! 

Tagged in What messes with your head, Journal, mental health, Wellbeing