A fun fact about me is that I have been journaling every single day since the start of 2022. It is something I never really talk about, for a reason I honestly can’t explain; I guess it just never comes up in conversation. However, I wanted to share why I started journaling and why I love it so much.

So, what started my journaling journey is actually the thought of my future kids. I can’t stand the idea of forgetting memories and not being able to tell my stories in the future, especially to my kids. Obviously that is decades in the future, but I just don’t want to forget anything. 

The other reason was because I found out I was moving in 2022 and leaving all of my friends that I had grown up with. The thought of leaving them was gut wrenching, but the thought of forgetting the special moments I shared with them was even worse. So, I started writing things down. 

I started off by doing more of an aesthetic bullet journal with just a summary of what I did that day. Slowly, I started to write more and more each day. In 2024, I switched from a bullet journal style to more of a basic writing a page a day. 

I think starting to journal everyday has been one of the best things I have ever done for myself. Being in high school, it is so easy to just think about the future you have in front of you: college, a job, living on your own, getting married, having kids. However, if you just think about those things you lose your high school experience.

You only get to live each stage of your life once, so embrace and enjoy each phase. For me, journaling has proved the best way to do this. I’m sure at some point in your life you have had someone tell you to live in the present, and the benefits of that are greater than many of us realize. 

The other component is what you focus on in the present. Saying “Just focus on everything positive!” is unrealistic and, I believe, not the best way to live your life. Feel everything. Don’t push down every sad feeling, but also don’t live in a sad state. Feel everything to its depth, but then move forward and realize there are more joyous moments ahead of you.

Journaling helped me let out these emotions everyday, even those emotions that I didn’t realize I had buried under the surface. Of course, there will be heartbreak and misery at some points, but write it down, feel it. 

Ranting to friends about emotions can be helpful, but sometimes there isn’t someone available, or it’s an issue that you don’t want to discuss with others. This is where journaling has proven so beneficial. 

Journaling feels like a million in one. I get to write down my memories and document my life, while also getting to rant about every last matter that is on my mind. 

You don’t have to be struggling to start journaling, you can start at any time. It isn’t about just documenting the highs, it is about jotting down everything and every feeling! It is what you make it. Also, there is a sense of accomplishment you feel looking at a stack of full journals.

No matter what stage you are at in your life, just try journaling once. Maybe you will hate it, or maybe you will become as obsessed as me. 

Till next Sunday,

Daisy