I started my first journal when I was in the eighth grade. One of my first best friends had ended her friendship with me because I had decided to trust the wrong person and it had truly felt like the end of the world. Since I felt completely alone, the only person I could turn to was inevitable, me. That is when the idea of keeping a diary or journal, popped into my head. Ever since, I have had three journals, all filled with pages of my daily stories, my drama, my good, and my bad. Today, when people find out that I journal, especially in an actual physical journal not like an iPad (no shaming going on there,btw), they are pretty surprised. Of course, there is a great percentage of the population that still journals but I think it gets lost in the most prominent aspects of today's society, like social media. From eight grade until now, there are many benefits from keeping a journal that I've gotten to experience.
It's a physical timeline of your life
Of course, we have things like Facebook and Instagram to help remind us where we were months or years ago. Yet, having it in an actual journal makes it all seem more real and meaningful. These aren't just pictures or statuses of what you were doing at the moment or what crazy thing you did last night, they are moments that may have changed who you are.
You get to witness your own growth
I can not tell you how many times I have sat down, read my old diaries and thought "Wow, I used to say that" or "I actually did that"? It is a vital artifact to not just your life but your character. You can look back and see how much you have grown as a person or maybe you won't actually see any growth. Yet, realizing you have not changed can be a wake-up call for you; all thanks to your journal.
You can reminisce on days that were forgotten
I have read my journals and have rediscovered people and days that were lost to me. The greatest thing is that because you're a different person, you bring a new perspective to these old memories and people; it's quite fun, refreshing, and insightful.
You can be 100% transparent
My journal is my absolute "no bullshit" space. No matter how silly or dark my thoughts may be, my journal will know them. There is an absolute solace to the fact that you have a judgment-free space where you can just let go. I have found that the best part of having this brutally honest relationship with a journal has made me try to become brutally honest myself. So many times, I have written not what I was thinking but what my gut was feeling. When that happens, I find myself speechless because I never even realized that's what I truly felt. It's such a great privilege because so often do we rarely follow our hearts or even try to admit what it is that we really want. When I have moments of pure clarity with my writing, I get to reevaluate my life and where it is that I'm headed; every time, the direction I go after that moment is always better and real.
So, if you haven't already, give writing a try. There's no certain way of doing it, you just do it. Then you'll see your life change for the better.
