I Journal Because…

It gives me joy, peace and clarity.

A girl asked me once. ‘What is the one thing you can do in your sleep?’ I turned to her, and without thinking, I blurted out, ‘Journalling, it gives me joy’. 

And joy – it does give me, indeed.

A pleasure I cannot comprehend when writing about the stress I feel at a moment in time does something to me.  As my thoughts come to life in ink form – filling up a blank page also gives me hope.

But how did it start?

When I was a child

I think it started when I was a kid.  You see, I recently learned that I am a solitary learner. Solitary learners love keeping a journal to help them process their emotions and make sense of the world around them. They are independent people and have a strong sense of self.

For as long as I can remember, I have always been that way. I wrote letters to myself – accounts of the day that made me feel a certain way.  Most of the time, I journaled about the things I was feeling, but I could not understand. 

I wrote letters to myself – accounts of the day that made me feel a certain way. 

Words of encouragement

Whenever something not so great happened to me during my childhood years, I would find a makeshift journal and write encouraging notes. It was a therapeutic ritual.

Years later, I would pour over my written confessions and affirmations and smile. I smiled because of the encouragement I had written to myself – right there in those journal entries.

As a child, I always knew how to comfort myself.  I didn’t need an adult to tell me what I already knew.

Isn’t that beautiful?  I always had my own back. 

I smiled because of the encouragement I had written to myself – right there in those journal entries.

And Now…

As I am older and wiser, I know a thing or two about how to soothe myself.  I still journal today.  In fact, I wrote one to myself a letter just the other day. I also write letters to God when I am seeking answers. 

During these unprecedented times, journaling has kept me sane.  When I read past journal entries, I know that I was really going through something.

I can smile because I am no longer in that place. That brings clarity. 

Sometimes, I ask myself life questions through my journal entries. Then the next day, the answers would come to me through bible verses I would just so happen to stumble across and sermons that would crop up on my YouTube feed. 

I always go back and write those answers in my journal – it convinces me that I am not alone. 

Clarity. Peace. Joy. 

Journaling helps me get there.

One day

One day, I will give my journal to my future daughter.  I hope it will help her to understand that indeed there is nothing new under the sun. That her mother is human and has gone through some tough times too – and made it through them. I hope this will encourage her like it has me.

Rant over.

Originally posted at https://medium.com/resonates/i-journal-because-417cfc5954e8 on January 22, 2021.

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