Journey of Journaling

When I was around 15, I was gifted a notebook and a pen from a family friend for my birthday. If there is one thing that I love collecting, it’s notebooks. The only trouble with that is finding a purpose for each one, and at the age of 15, I can’t say that I needed one to keep track of my finances, compared to today. I had to figure out what I was going to do with it. When I opened it, I saw that at the top of each page, it had a little space to write the date. That’s when I had the idea to try journaling every day before going to bed. And I did. I started writing little entries into this journal as a way to review my day and plan for the next. I was consistent for probably 6 months up until I went on holiday, and started slacking with the consistency. I didn’t get back to journaling until I turned 19. Since then, I have been journaling every night consistently. 

What began as trying to review my day and plan the nextstarted to become like a little history journal for me. I began documenting dreams that I’d have at night, random questions that I had, things I wanted to achieve in the future, significant events in my life and anything else that I felt would be worth looking back at at some point in the future. 

Now and then, I like to read what was going on in my life 4 years ago when I officially decided to make this hobby part of my routine. I enjoy it because I can see how my life has changed for me and my own personal development/growth. For instance, 4 years ago, I considered myself incredibly lonely, lost, slightly depressed, and completely lacking inspiration and motivation. Today, I can confidently say that I have the most wonderful bunch of friends, a wonderful boyfriend whom I look forward to spending the rest of my life with, a bachelor’s degree and plenty of hope for a bright future. Although I will naturally never forget how things were back then, being able to read exactly, word for word, what was going on in my heart and mind at the time feels so intimate and brings back memories. If only I could give past me a hug and reassure her that everything will turn out just fine.

Anyone who has a habit of journaling or at least writing down things on a daily basis will have a personal style. Some may jot things down like a list with bullet points, others may make it sound like a novel and make it sound poetic, for me, I like to combine it with prayer as though I were conversing with God about my day. My faith is very important to me, and so thanksgiving is something I like to practice every day. Journaling has become one of the most effective ways for me to do that. As I am writing down whatever is on my mind, I say a little thank you to the Lord here and there. There’s something about writing it down, filtering through the noise and focusing on such precious things that, maybe if I wasn’t concentrating to write it all down cohesively, I wouldn’t have thought to give thanks for. I remember my previous pastor recommending to my young adults group to get into journaling while in prayer, as it is an effective way to give thanks, describe what we understood about a verse/scripture/principle and also note down anything that we felt the Lord was revealing to us. 

If I had to pick my two favourite things to read when I go back over my journal entries, it would be the things I wrote about my university experience and also my relationship. Although I had already completed one year of university before I got into journalling, the most challenging parts and the rest of that journey were documented all the way up to graduation day. That point in my life was such an emotional rollercoaster for me, so to read back on it and see how, by the grace of God, I was able to make it through, is one of the greatest self-encouragements and has helped me countless times since then to remember that I am strong and capable. Then there is my relationship. The entire things written down! From when I first reunited with him after years of not seeing him, to the present day, where we have already touched on plans for the future. It feels a lot more like a storybook because of the thrill of emotions that I was constantly trying to express through words. 

My journal exposes my most vulnerable self. I don’t like showing it to others because there are some very personal thoughts and feelings that I have made note of over the years. And not everything written down is just about me. Multiple times, I have written down information that others have shared with me so that I can keep them in prayer and not forget about them. I believe that your journal should be something private. Only for you (and God, if you believe). Weirdly, it’s like having a written time machine. I can write something down this evening about how I want things to be in the future, and I’ll have in the corner of my mind the consciousness that one day I will look back at it. It also works the other way round. Present me can read back over what past me was doing or going through and reflect on how time has past and things have continued to evolve. Not everything in your life should be accessible to outside people. Your thoughts and feelings are one of them. You must limit how much you share with those around you. It could put you at risk of having information spread about you, people changing their perspective of you, or someone using that information against you. Hence, why journaling is great! You have complete liberty to share whatever it is you want without feeling trapped or judged. 

There are genuine benefits to getting into the habit of writing things down. In my case, I find the most benefits to be mental and emotional. There are many days and moments when I am unable to express what is going on internally, and I have to keep it together. As I have experienced many times the hard way, suppressing emotions is more unhealthy than it is healthy. You can suppress them as much as you like, but eventually, and probably with someone that doesn’t deserve it or in the worst context possible, it suddenly erupts, and everything comes pouring out. It’s similar to thoughts. You may have hundreds of mental tabs open that are beginning to overwhelm you, or maybe you are trying to push thoughts to the side and ignore them even though, in reality, they are important to you. If you’re not careful, you could end up causing yourself to not feel the most stable mentally. And if really bad, an upset can actually result in an upset body, as I strongly believe that our psychological health plays a huge role in our physical. That’s one of the biggest reasons why I have been able to stay consistent with journaling because I noticed the difference it was making for my mental and emotional well-being, and I couldn’t give up on those benefits. I felt as though I was able to rationalise things better, think more clearly and calm myself down when overwhelmed.

Implementing this practice into my daily lifestyle has really helped me feel like I have a sense of routine. As I always do it at night, my system is now used to knowing that when journaling is completed at night, it’s nearly time to sleep. Not only do I become relaxed knowing that another day is coming to an end, but physically my body starts to feel the effects as I notice myself yawning more, my eyes becoming heavier, and my body refusing to want to do much movement. It truly helps me to get into a state of rest. For others, journaling may be something you find more beneficial in the morning, like on your commute to work. It can act as a way to wake up and set yourself up for the day mentally. And maybe for others, doing it multiple times in the day is best. Each person has their routine and knows when is the best time to sit down intentionally with themselves to do it. What’s most valuable is that their mind will be able to have time to process something that maybe, if the individual just keeps themselves busy and pushes everything to one side, would never be properly dealt with. 

A small comment, if you’re interested in how habits can work, how to build them and the effects that can have on us, one of the best books I have ever read in this area is called ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear. I wouldn’t consider myself someone to be very interested in psychology, but I loved how this book balanced study with practical suggestions and real-life examples. 

You’ll maybe find that, at the moment, a lot of my blogs sound slightly like journal entries. This was actually the quickest blog I have written to date. Most of the blogs I have previously done up till now have taken me a solid 2 hours. This one took me approximately 50 minutes to write. I strongly believe that because I have been journaling every day, I am used to just sharing my thoughts on a regular basis, and also, it is something close to my heart, my mind was able to focus and get into it. I didn’t even feel the time go by as I was so absorbed. My tone of voice when I return has evolved to sound rather conversational, and I like that. I find it reflects my personality, and maybe, for you as the reader, it feels more personal. Obviously, I know when I have to use a more serious or ‘professional’ tone depending on the context and circumstances I am writing, but otherwise, this style of writing is comfortably me. 

What does your voice sound like in writing? 

Love,

me. 🤍