I've been writing in diaries and journals since I was six or so and have always loved it. It's such a versatile, therapeutic way of writing that means more to me as time goes on.

Journaling is the freest form of writing I can think of. First of all, you are the only one that has to read it. You don't need to edit it or even look at it ever again. It's almost like having a genuine conversation with yourself, and I've been making a habit of using that to my advantage. All journaling really is is a way of getting your ideas out to someone who understands. You don't have to explain your motives or why you see something a certain way. There's no outside influence caused by any potential audiences. It's just you.

When something is bothering me, I like to get my thoughts out of the scramble that is my mind and take a look at what I've written. Somehow, it feels a lot like having an outside perspective, and God does it make a difference. The process that words go through as they transform from just another string of thoughts marinating in your brain to sentences being consciously formed as they get put down on the page makes you evaluate your thoughts in a way that merely thinking about them can't quite beat.

With the productive ways I've been learning to examine problems and find solutions, I've been able to turn journaling into a simultaneously internal and external conversation resembling counseling. This has been life-changing, especially in comparison to how I journaled in the past. I used to use it to vent, but more often than not, it was in a way that would trigger a spiral of more and more negative thoughts, leaving me overwhelmed and not at all better. But this form of expression has been growing with me over the years, and it continues to do so now. As I build up my ability to pull issues apart and deal with them without invalidating them, the way that I write in my journal becomes increasingly helpful.

And, no, nothing quite beats talking to another person about something that's really troubling, but this is a really great place to start the productive thought processes that will get you through your hard times. The best part is that there's no wait for the right time like there could be with a counseling session or a one-on-one chat with a friend or family member. As long as you have a notebook and a pen, you're good to go.

What is probably my favorite part of journaling, however, is the freedom you have to be creative in order to get the most out of it. The whole point of it is to express how you're feeling, so you can do whatever you want, whenever you want with it as long as it creates a more rewarding experience for you. Sometimes, this affects the way I format my entries. If my brain was buzzing with tons of different thoughts throughout the day, I'll write a big list before bed to acknowledge them, but if I'm too tired or emotionally exhausted, I'll just jot down a short paragraph to maintain the habit of journaling but not dig deeper than I feel prepared to. Lately, I've been adding sections to my regular entries where I note what I'm particularly thankful for at the moment, goals I want to reach the next day, and things that happened during my day that I really loved and enjoyed. If I feel especially creative on a given day, I'll write a scene from a story that's brewing in my head or something short and poetic. That's the beauty of journaling- it's completely up to you what you're going to make of it.