Writing allows for the mind to escape. It gives an individual the opportunity to produce work that is meaningful to them. That they might not be ready to share with the world, but they are ready to share with someone or something. It allows an individual to experience vulnerability, to explore their passions, to come face-to-face with their fears, to share thoughts that range from the dark depths of the soul to something as simple as how their day is going. Writing allows for the human body to release.
With writing, there are no rules. There is no judgment; there is no risk of being influenced by the opinions of others. Writing is a freedom. It is a form of self-expression. It puts the mind at ease. It is a source to dispose of harmful thoughts. It allows for an individual to see growth. It is safe.
I have attempted and re-attempted to keep a journal so many times it is hard to keep track of them all. I struggled, and would only make it maybe a couple of days before I would give up. I didn't quite understand why it was so easy for some individuals to write, even if it was just about their daily experiences. I couldn't find that passion, that need to write.
Thinking back now, I couldn't write because I didn't need to write. I didn't need a form of escape that wasn't talking to a human being. I didn't need a place to release thoughts that I don't necessarily intend to share with anyone else. I didn't need that escape, and now I do.
However, this time around, I have approached journaling in a different way.
I knew that I would not find success in attempting to pull the thoughts from my mind and compose them into words because that was a place of vulnerability and exposure that I was not comfortable with yet. Therefore, I created a quote journal. I found I was able to channel the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that I was having through the words of others. Whether it is phrases that I find on social media, from a book, occasionally from myself, I am able to find comfort in journaling now because I am not racking my brain to create words on the page. I was able to see myself and what I was feeling through the work of others, and that was what I needed to put my mind at ease.
Journaling isn't a science. It is not something you can teach or learn. And it might not be something that is always necessary in your life. But when the time comes, journaling is for writing about what you love, what you hate, what's in your head, what's important. Journaling is for whatever you need it to be for, and that is what makes it truly remarkable.
