Have you ever had days when you’re in a slump? When the skies seem so grey, and there’s an unshakable feeling of heaviness on your chest? We understand it’s one of those days. People aren’t hard-wired to be happy and productive at all times, so it’s normal to feel that way. But what should you do when your “low days” outweigh the highs? Some go to the gym or join marathons while others spend the nights at clubs to meet new people—these are all valid coping mechanisms, but if you want to try something new, maybe it’s about time you try to have a journal. Today, we’ll learn all the benefits of writing in your journal and how this can be a healthy self-care habit you can pick up!
Journaling as a Self-Care Habit
Journaling involves a lot of writing. This means it can be an outlet to jot down your worries and vent your frustrations, pent-up anger and anxiety. It can act as a “mental declutter”, your therapist. Having a journal or a diary may sound too labouring, but journaling has no rules. You don’t have to write on it every day or feel pressured to fill the whole notebook with words.
You can add pictures, poems, and your favourite book quotes if it helps you express yourself. Don’t forget to write the moments when you feel happy, regardless if they’re grand or simple. Writing down positive feelings will allow you to gain insights into your emotions and behaviour. Remember that this is an essential part of self-care.
The Wonders of Owning a Journal
Habitually writing in your journal can be transformative. You can look back on your previous journal entries and see good and bad memories, thoughts and emotions. Reading both in your journal will allow you to realise that this makes you who you are. No one is perfect. Therefore, we should embrace not only the beautiful parts of us but also the ugly ones because it is all a part of our life’s journey.
You may feel lazy to write in your journal but the next thing you know, you’re highlighting the best parts of your entry and doodling flowers when you feel giddy. Just putting entries in your journal regularly helps clear your mind, making it easier to process complex thoughts and situations.
The Sky’s the Limit With Being Creative
If you check other content creators who share their journal spreads, it’s not always full of paragraphs. Sometimes, they’re just short updates that occupy less than half of a page. Others stick on notes, stamps, pictures and memorabilia from their travels without words! You don’t always have to use words to express yourself in your journal. Maybe try adding printed song codes from Spotify or write down the lyrics of your current favourite song. You can make it as creative as you can.
If you want a more colourful approach to your journal, you can purchase stickers, highlighters and even cute notepads to stick on some pages for quotes you need to emphasise. You can also save dry flowers and old stamps for a vintage effect. If you want it to be simple, buy pens with different thicknesses to add variance to the look of your journal entry. Just remember not to pressure yourself about it because it doesn’t matter what the aesthetic of your journal is—so long as it gives you fulfilment, you’re doing it right!
There are so many ways to express yourself on paper. After all, the pen can be a very mighty weapon which you can use to battle negativity and healthily regulate your mood. What’s great about journaling is that you can do other activities if you’re not in the mood to write. Self-care habits shouldn’t make you feel pressured because they should make you feel good and peaceful above everything else.
Journaling is an effective way to bring back your spark because it can help ease your worries and satisfy your creative juices. Nothing wrong will come from having a journal because of how personal it is. Unlike social media posts, journaling is more private. It can help you stay grounded because you “only see you.” So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and get yourself a journal to write reflections and keep memories. See how you have developed and how far you’ve gone!