We've all seen the movies of teenage girls keeping journals enclosed with their deepest and darkest secrets - or at least some sort of "therapeutic" form of writing down their feelings. To All The Boys I've Loved Before, Mamma Mia, LOL, Read It And Weep, you name it. They make it seem as though every single girl keeps a secret dear diary. Personally, I never bought it. Like a lot of people I know, I never thought writing down your feelings did really anything at all.

However, as New Year's rolled around, I started contemplating realistic resolutions. Resolutions that I could actually stick to. So I figured I would try the whole journal thing.

Day One was interesting. I didn't know how to start or what to say. I mean, talking to yourself it weird as it is, and putting that into words made me feel like a major freak. I found myself writing awkwardly, at first, not knowing what the heck the purpose of this was. It seems SO easy for the girls in the movies but for some reason, I literally just could not put my feelings into words.

Keep in mind, this is my New Year's Resolution. You can't just give up on your New Year's Resolution on freaking January 1! So, I tried to keep my "creative juices" flowing and kept writing until finally, it all started coming together.

In a way, it was almost overwhelming. I suddenly had so much to write about. I wrote down every new thought that popped into my mind and I could not stop. Halfway through, I realized everything I wrote about would have been something that would have been on my mind, probably inducing anxiety as I attempted to fall asleep. Not only did my little journal-writing experience let me declutter my mind, but it also helped me fall asleep so much faster.

I'm not someone who goes to therapy on a regular basis. I think I have gone to a therapist a total of three times, and frankly, I have never found it that helpful. I mean, I guess it's nice to talk to someone about how you're feeling, but it takes a lot for me to open up to someone and for some reason, it just never really worked out with the stranger sitting across from me taking notes on my every utterance.

My journal, however, provides me with an open space to say everything on my mind without having to worry about how I come off and what people will think about it. It never gets annoyed, it won't tell anyone, and it's the most convenient. In fact, it's the best resolution I've ever had.

So here I am, on my second week of journal-keeping, and loving it. It is seriously the best way to organize your thoughts, eliminate stress, and share how you're feeling without actually sharing how you're feeling.