In 2018 I was going through it. A break up with a best friend and a breakup with a boyfriend who wasn't worth being sad about. Going into my sophomore year of college in Manhattan, not knowing what I wanted my major to be and I needed to change it soon if I was ever going to graduate on time. I was always stuck on the timing, and how it would look. In hindsight I don't know if I was more upset about my breakup or the way that it looked since I was, drumroll please..... GHOSTED!! Being ghosted by your actual boyfriend and not just a situationship is a whole other level of ghosting. But either way, it led me to finding my way back to journaling. I have always loved writing, from a very young age. I was always writing about my day in elementary school and re-reading it a week later like it was my favorite book. Somehow it got away from me, and I was in serious need of an outlet to bring me back to life.
So I went and got a tiny little gold kate spade notebook that had polka dots on the inside and blank pages. I've never been a fan of journals with writing prompts, I've always just liked to write how I'm feeling that day and get that emotion down on paper. So I did, I wrote 4 months full of writing. From September to December I wrote everyday, and somewhere along the line I found myself again in a time I felt so lost. I remember feeling confident again, and hearing myself inside my head again thinking so clearly.
In November, which was my third month of writing again, it was time to decide a schedule for the spring semester. In a completely chaotic and nervous yet knowing this was what I was supposed to be doing, I told my advisor I want to switch my major from Marketing to Journalism. We salvaged up a schedule and I was so relieved. Seeing classes like storytelling 101 and fashion journalism on my schedule rather than econ and digital advertising was a huge weight off my shoulders. And I owe it all to my little gold journal.
At the end of my journal I vowed that I would still write, but only when I felt like I had to, and that I did. Ever since then, I write when I feel like it. If I make myself with a certain time, it will not work for me. I never want to have writers block my feelings, so if I have nothing to say, I won't say it. I’d rather leave a blank page of possibility than a page of something that feels forced.
So, with saying all of this I have narrowed down my top five tips for journaling, and how you can transform your daily life with journaling!
Number One. GET A CUTE CUTE NOTEBOOK!
This is number one for a reason, if you dont like picking up this notebook everyday, if you don't like looking at it, you’re not going to like writing in it. There are so many different types of journals, I suggest going in person to get one at Barnes and Noble or Target, so that you can actually feel it and see the pages inside.
Number Two.
Get pens or pencils or a quill!! Get WHATEVER you like to write with, so that you don't have to worry about it. I went and got kate spade pens that had little saying on them and different colors. So each day I picked from 5 pens and it added to the whole experience of writing.
Number Three.
Get comfy. Wherever you feel the comfiest. If that’s on the couch, in bed, at a desk if that’s your thing. I love to curl up with my notebook and write. I was in college at this time so it was either my plush bed or my hard desk and uncomfy chair, so I vouched for my bed.
Number Four.
Your intro! Each day is different. Different feelings, different routine. But keeping your header the same, to me at least, was important. I always started it off with the date at the top. And that was really it. The beginning is sometimes where people get stuck. So if that's the case, say hey, say dear diary, say whatever comes to mind just to break the ice. Once you get flowing you’re going to be writing so fast that you’re going to start it with diving straight into the story.
Number Five.
Let yourself feel! I wouldn't be the person I am right now If i didnt let my emotions get the best of me, and they definitelyyy do most days. It’s your journal, no one else is going to see it. Throw your heart on the page and let it linger. Play music if you like or just let yourself listen to your thoughts. Either way, eventually you’ll get to the end of your pages for the day.
Happy Journaling!!