My Obsession With Journals

(and why you should have one too)

I will admit to an addiction.

Journals.

(This journal is for “Project Dragon” one of my novels)

I buy them any time I get the chance and I don't know how many I have. There's a special high you get when you first open a journal, the scent of paper, the beauty of an untouched page, and the excitement of filling it. I love journals, and you should too. Let me explain.

They're the best. Period.

Okay, I'll actually explain. Let's start with the fun side of things. You can do so many things with them. A notebook to store your short story ideas, a dream journal, a tarot reading journal, a notebook to write short stories in, and so many more! There are bullet journals where you can design the notebook to perfectly accommodate you, ones to help people with ADHD, ideas for journals are practically endless. Not to mention, you can draw in them, add stickers, decorate them however you please! You can get pretty journals at places like Barnes and Noble, Borders, basically most chain bookstores. Staples is also a favorite for more classic journals. I'll even peruse CVS for their gel pens and notebooks. But maybe that's just my addiction talking.

(These are to help me track my mental health and intentions for the day)

Journals are also amazing for your mental health. I have a journal just for "brain dumping," I just let whatever what words come to mind bleed onto the page. It's beautiful, messy, and cathartic. I write in there when I'm upset, I write in there when I wake up, it carries my most fragile thoughts and my excitement and my pride. You can also use journals to reflect on things in order to process your emotions. Did something terrible happen, something exciting, write it down. Figure out how you feel, let it out. Getting the words out will release you. I also use journals to set intentions for my day. What is it that I want to achieve in that day? Then I will go back and talk about whether I accomplished those things and how it went. I also will talk about the good and bad things that happened today and my gratitude for things in my life.

Journals help you be more present in your life, more aware of your feelings. They help you to take the messiness of life and organize it in a way that suits you. Journals are flexible, they curve around your soul to help you cope with and embrace life. They document your life so that you can look back at yourself and see how you've grown and remember all the messy, beautiful aspects of your life.

I got properly into journaling around the age of 16, so I have many years to read through. I had always used journals throughout my life, but it was the first time I kept my journals instead of tearing them to pieces and throwing them away in embarrassment and fear. I used to be very afraid of documenting my life, but at the same time I needed to get my thoughts out of my head. But at 16 I decided I needed to remember the messiness and I still have that journal to this day. I think that's beautiful in its own way.

(This journal is for “Project Goddess” one of the novels I’m working on)

I feel seen when I journal, because I'm just speaking to myself in soft whispers. sometimes when I'm overwhelmed it's all I can do just to sit down and write down my words through tears. I cry out into the void of the blank page and come out more whole because of it.

I likely have too many journals, scratch that I have a "perfectly reasonable" amount of journals for a writer who processes their feelings through words. I have journals for my novels, little bibles of information and places for me to figure out the riddles of my worlds. I really hope some of my rambles have convinced you why journals are thoroughly enjoyable, because I think everyone can find some benefit in their blank pages.

Happy Writing,

-Aether