A Journey-al to you
A Journey-al to you
“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart” - when William Wordsworth said this, he probably was not referring to modern day journalling practices. But nonetheless the quote holds true for anyone who has tried journalling. Now you might think “what is the point of talking about journals beyond December or January”? because the activity is usually associated with brand new dairies and resolutions. But I believe it is never too late to start something new!
Journaling has truly transformed my outlook towards life. Not only does it help me to stay organized in the chaos of student life, but it also reminds me of my inner strength. In addition, a journal is like a little hand drawn album of memories that I can carry through to reflect on my past self. So, I am going to give you three ideas for beginners to try and dabble in journaling. Maybe you’ll want to explore further and start a full-blown journal. Maybe you just enjoy a few minutes on one of these exercises and never look back. Either way, I promise it will be a fun afternoon activity to do with yourself!
- An exercise in gratitude:
Everyday list three good things that happened to you. Maybe you caught the bus on time, or a friend complimented your fashion sense. It can be as big as getting a 9.0 on your essay (a great feat in the Dutch system 😉) or as small as spotting a pretty cloud! On paper, all joys are acknowledged. At the end of the week go through this list and just see how it makes you feel.
- An exercise in being present:
If you are feeling anxious grab a paper and focus on drawing/writing five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. This will help ground your energy. You can later look at these pages as a snapshot of your thoughts in a moment of time.
- An exercise in self-love:
Buy a post card. Put in your address. On this post card write a note from your future self to you. What do they want you to hear? How do you imagine your life going down? You can later post it if you want and get a happy surprise in the mail one day! If you have more to say you can even write a letter to yourself and read it when things get tough.
Repeating these exercises will also help to track your progress and give an insight into personal transformation. There are many more exercises that you can come up with, or even some aesthetic inspiration you can gather from Pinterest. I hope this inspires you to try out journalling even if for just a year, a month, a week or a day! Happy Journaling!