Why Journal?

(Picture: My backyard by Kyla Alexandre)

I don’t know about you, but I think a lot and sometimes I think too much. Because I am such an over-thinker, there are times where I need to get out the thoughts in my head and put it somewhere in the world and that is why I journal. There are things that I think about that I do not always want to share with someone and journaling is that “step in” person to vent to. I have an unnecessary amount of notebooks that all serve various purposes for either poetry, doodles, and thoughts. The notebook I grab the most is the one that I journal in. That notebook holds my lists, thoughts, letters, memories, life lessons, and anything that I feel the need to get out of my system. 

The beauty of journaling is there is no right way of doing it. You can customize your journal in a way best fit for you. Some choose to make theirs very pretty using a bullet journal style, some choose to have a more organized way of journaling or a system in which they organize their thoughts, and some simply write whenever they feel. For me, I journal whenever I feel (typically at least once or twice a week) and there is no pattern or layout that I choose to follow. I simply have a notebook and take it out and write out things I want to remember or work through my thoughts. A lot of the time, the deeper thoughts we have, such as anxiety, sadness, fear, etc., the more overwhelmed we are. It causes us to not know where we are supposed to go next and often consumes us. This is when journaling can really help. There may be certain thoughts that you do not need to talk to someone about, but you may just need to see them out. There have been numerous times where I go through something and I write out everything that is happening and everything I feel. This allows you to see and understand maybe not what you are feeling, but how to overcome that feeling and turn the experience around. 

Journaling is also a wonderful way to set goals and even practice the Law of Attraction. It is a form of manifestation that allows you to specify what you want your dream life to be and sends it out into the universe to see it through. It allows you to stay on track with your goals but also gives you a chance to look back and see how your goals have changed over the years. A journal tracks your growth as an individual. I try to keep track of as many points in my life, such as guys I’m into or highlights of certain things happening in my life at the time, so I can look back and see how much I’ve changed or even note the growth that as come from those experiences. It is like your own written time capsule. To add on to the time capsuleness (I know that isn’t a real word, just roll with it)  of my journal, I put little notes or lists I make and sometimes some pictures or doodles here and there to capture certain moments. I have a memory box to put the letters people give me and other little knick-knacks I’ve accumulated over the past 18 years, but some of them belong in the journal. Again, you choose what you do with your journal. 

Your journal is your place to write whatever your heart desires. You can fill it with poems, thoughts, letters you will never send (I have more of these than I would like to admit), memories, goals, ideas, lists, literally anything. It allows you to empty your mind when it is swarming with thoughts. I hope this inspires you to pick up a notebook and write away. Stay vibin!