A Journey To Journal
It began in small black leather notebooks and evolved into word documents on my laptop, but regardless of the medium, journaling has become a part of my daily life. The habit began when I traveled as a desire to document my experiences. Then situations would arise where I just needed to write in a journal to get the thoughts out of me to a quiet and accepting place.
I became consistent with my journaling whenI began my journey in writing which happened to coincide with my exploration of personal growth in my life. The calling to write has lived within me since I was a teenager. Thoughts in my head would transform into words that I imagined myself writing. It'‘s difficult to explain and I’m not sure if this will make any sense but I began thinking in terms of writing. Ideas would pop into my head and grow into a bigger concept and I heard the way I wanted the ideas written. As I began to uncover my true self my writing became a necessity. The only safe, confidential outlet I had for my feelings was and is my journal.
I enjoy returning to my words, re-reading journal entries. Sometimes I read old entries and sometimes more recent ones. It's amazing how setting the words free from my head and onto the page unburden me. Reading past entries allows me to see if those feelings and thoughts continue to resonate with me, or if getting the words on the page has allowed me to move forward. Reading my journal brings me further clarity to see situations from a new perspective. It can take me back to a moment of pain and struggle and I can have empathy for myself, I can appreciate the growth and hard work since that time in my life. I can revisit the intense love or desire for someone that no longer exists. I can see my frustration with a person or situation that has been rectified. I can return to the beginnings of a love story that may or may not have unfolded the way I had hoped, and understand choices I made and how they affect me today.
I believe people undervalue the impact of journaling especially when faced with hard times. I can research all day long trying to educate myself, but a journal is a direct path to the answers which lie within me. My views and thoughts may not be the “right” answer but being correct is not the objective. A journal is a direct line to my gut, my inner voice. Our gut and inner voice are sometimes difficult to identify because our mind doesn't always create a safe place for our true feelings to be expressed. A journal is a place where your perception and experience is never judged or influenced. What lands on the page is between you and you. In this forum the freedom to explore ourselves is unlimited and unbridled.
Journaling saved me. It saved my true self from being swallowed up by other ideas and opinions of me that I once began to believe. It grounded me at times when I was riddled with confusion. It gave me an outlet to release my deep emotions that were being challenged and questioned. I do not know how I could have survived the past five years without my fingers tapping away to show me my own truth and pave a path to my true self. Had I not had my journal, those feelings would have festered within me, tormenting me and lingering, chaining me to my past.
I recommend journaling to everyone. It provides a safe space for freedom,and honesty. It memorializes a time that can later be used as a lesson, an indication of growth or a preservation of meaningful times in your life. I’ve released my anger, my sadness, I’ve confessed my crushes, my falling out of love, my pining for love and my loneliness. I’ve had days of furiously tapping at the keyboard as the words couldn’t get out fast enough and days where I forced myself to write a single sentence. Regardless of the content on any given day, my journal is a gift to myself I will always cherish.