Welcome to another edition of Mental Health Monday. Whether you’ve been journaling for years or have been wanting to start but never got into it, or are flabbergasted by the whole ordeal, I think you’ll find this post a worthwhile read. Journaling is one of my favorite ways to unwind every day, and I owe a lot of my mental sanity to this practice. Read on to see some of my tips for getting into journaling and also some thoughts on why I think it’s so beneficial.

When I first started journaling, it felt super awkward.

I kept second-guessing myself and wondering if this seemingly pointless practice of recounting the boring details of my day was in any way helpful. Yet I stuck with it, meticulously scribbling even after long days when I wanted nothing more than to succumb to my bed’s welcoming embrace.

Looking back, I’m not sure why I didn’t quit. Maybe deep inside I knew this would be good for me, that eventually, I’d see the point.

Maybe I was doing it to pacify my mom and make sure I’d given her idea a full chance.

Or maybe, I had absolutely nothing to lose. My anxiety had me in shambles as it was, and if this mundane task had any possibility at all of piecing me back together, I was not going to refuse.

 

I think journaling is so hard at first because we’re not used to scrutinizing ourselves in such deep detail. It’s uncomfortable to write about what you did, what you said, because that puts you in the strange spot of being both the narrator and reader. It brings up feelings you’d rather keep buried that you didn’t dwell on when something happened. It stirs up self-criticism and judgment for how you acted or what you said. Most uncomfortably of all, journaling forces you to become very familiar with your inner YOU, the spark inside that drives everything you do and are, something most people are terrified to encounter because it’s so foreign to them.

 

Imagine for a second that you find your biggest role model, the person you thought was the strongest in the whole world, whom nothing and no one could faze, crying. They are weeping like a baby, and suddenly you realize that the entire image you had built up of them in your head was nothing more than fabrication, a way to create a superhero out of someone only human.

 

Journaling poses a similar conflict. It forces you to strip away the layers you might have created in your mind, the outer masks that you had been building up for so long that you forgot what was underneath. It’s terrifying to unravel those layers because in many ways, they are our protection. They allow us to resist vulnerability, to remain unhurt.

 

But this is nothing but an illusion. Sooner or later, you will need to confront your inner self, and it is my firm belief that it is much better to go about the process consciously, willingly, and slowly than to be forced into it by something you have no control over.

 

So yes, at first, it’ll be awkward. You’re going to resist with all your might, struggling against the journal’s entreaties to let your mask go. So you write about the weather, about the math test you failed, about the soup you cooked all wrong but had to eat anyway (#truelife).

 

But eventually, there will come a moment when you want to be vulnerable, when you know that nothing on Earth would feel better than writing about something to get it off your chest or to ruminate on it better, or even just to record it because it’s something you never want to forget.

 

I promise you, if you stick with it, that moment will come. Until then, let yourself go through these steps, never rushing or stifling your progress, just letting each come as it does. With time, you’ll be a regular pro who journals in bed while cradling a mug of tea every night (das me).

 

Purchase a journal that speaks to you

Maybe it has a beautiful blue cover that reminds you of your favorite place in the world, the ocean, or maybe there’s a quote on the cover that really resonates with you. Regardless, try to choose a journal that genuinely makes you happy and that gets you excited about writing. I’d recommend Barnes and Noble for some beautiful options, but there are also tons online.

This is probably my eighth journal that looks exactly like this. Honestly part of the reason I was so consistent with it at the start is that this cover really means something to me. It reminds me to find the magic in every day, to embrace my inner child, and to always be the brave Gryffindor I know I am inside.

Decide from the start how often you will write, and be consistent

Saying, I’m going to write as often as I can is a great way to get a dusty journal lying forgotten on a bookshelf.

As with most things in life, you need to set yourself a goal, a solid plan of action, if you hope to achieve.

Maybe you want to write a short entry every single day, and you know you can feasibly do it, or maybe you know you don’t need to write more than once a month because you like writing long reflections. Choose your dedication level from the get-go, and you’ll be sure to use that little book to its full capacity.

 

Discover your WHY

What is driving your interest in journaling? There’s got to be a reason you clicked on this post. Maybe it’s a recent event you’re having trouble dealing with and want to figure out what your feelings are, maybe you are dealing with anxiety or depression and feel that writing down your feelings would help, or maybe you just want to get to know yourself a little better.

Tap into your reason for starting this process, and hold it close to make sure you don’t give up before you even start.

 

Allow yourself to be vulnerable

 

If you go through life stifling your feelings or acting like someone you’re not and your journal reflects that, you’re wasting your time.

Your journal is a book of truth, and it should reflect your true personality. While it most likely won’t at first, since it takes some probing to really get to your core identity, it’s important not to fall in the trap of trying to uphold some kind of image while journaling.

Remember, no one will read this but you. There is absolutely no reason to paint yourself as a saint on those pages because really, the only person who will be impressed is you, and that’s not the point here.

Journaling is for YOU. So open up, force yourself to be honest and raw on those pages, and I promise you’ll reap the benefits.

 

Write even when there is nothing to write about

Writing something is better than writing nothing at all.

I know this sounds strange, but hear me out.

When you first start journaling, there’ll be plenty of days when you feel like you have nothing to say. I mean, your day was spent in a horizontal position catching up with Friends. The show, not the people. So when you look at your little journal lying there waiting for you, you think, “eh, there’s no point writing about today when nothing interesting happened.”

The problem with that kind of mentality is this is precisely what will cause you to quit journaling seconds after you start.

If you don’t make it a habit, there’s nothing really motivating you to write even when there is something to write about.

I find that those kinds of uneventful days often make some of the most insightful journal entries because the mind is most active when the body is still. I honestly don’t even realize how many self-discoveries I had or goals I had set until I put pen to paper and it all materializes in front of me.

 

 

I urge you to try these tips out, and don’t despair if it doesn’t go too smoothly at first. There is a learning curve, but there is absolutely no one for whom journaling will not work.

There are those who stick with it and see real changes in their stress levels, self-awareness, and confidence, and those who proclaim that it’s not for them and end up quitting before the magic has any time to happen.

Trust the process.

Journaling really is beneficial for anyone, and as long as you remain consistent with it, you’ll discover just how necessary it is for your mental health.

 

 

Xoxo,

Nicole

 

 

 

Any questions you have for me about my journaling journey?