The Power of Journaling

Journaling is something I can always come back to. As long as I can
remember, I was writing stories in my journals, journals that were gifted to me on birthdays and Christmas. Universes would spawn on the pages as I wrote in my room. My dreams became a reality as I wrote about becoming a princess with long golden locks of hair and a bright smile. Beyond the reality I would create on the pages of my diary, I would write about my latest crush. “He looked at me today,” I would remark in my notebook littered with butterflies on the cover.

Ever since then, my journaling has matured as the birthdays passed. I now
journal about how I have an exam coming up and I’m nervous about the outcome, or how I miss my ex. I haven’t written little stories or anecdotes since I was a kid, I have lost the magic that once created great stories of princesses and adventures in a magical world. Reality has set in and now, the stories created on the pages of my moleskin journal are manifestations of my future, talking points for my therapist, and people I have problems with.

Although my journaling methods have changed over the years, the
importance of the act has never diminished for me. Whether it is doodling in my
journal, decorating the cover page, or writing my heart out, journaling stays an
end-of-the-day ritual. Of course, I am in therapy, but when not in therapy journaling is an outlet I can fall back onto. I can start journaling in a terrible mood, and end up feeling accomplished and happier than before. There is some sort of magic in the way the act of journaling can spin my mood a whole 180.

I will always recommend journaling to friends and family. It is a form of writing that can truly transform someone and allow them to fully express themselves.