Unveiling Your Soul: The Power of Daily Journaling

Why I Started Journaling (And Why I Think Everyone Should Try It)

I’ll be honest—I used to journal a lot. I would get home from my bus ride in high school, which took far too long by the way, run into my room, pull out my journal, and write down my day. I would write down what someone said, what their note said, and even a look they gave. It gave me space to put my thoughts into perspective, and I could go back for meaning if I needed to. Truth be told, I didn’t have a lot of friends, and writing seemed like someone was listening.

I was.

Some of my favorite journal pages are messy. They have crossed-out words, tear-mark stains, and random thoughts. Misspelled words, squeezed into the margins, and days when I wrote nothing but the date because it was just one of those days. loneliness I mean did I have to put “I’m feeling lonely?’ I figured my future self would understand if It was a blank page with a date. Pretty savage if you ask me.

And somehow, those are the pages that mean the most. I think I knew even then that to me silence was all I needed.

Fast forward to today, life moves fast. Between school, kids, laundry, making dinner, remembering appointments, prioritizing health, and trying to keep up with everything else, it’s easy to forget to check in with ourselves.

Journaling has become my way of slowing down. Yet again.

Getting the Thoughts Out

I realized I missed those empty pages and misspelled words holding space for me to be messy and free. I haven’t journaled for some time, but here I am starting again. And I wanted to encourage you to do that same.

I think often we are forced to “forget” to “move on” to “scroll on” to fast-forward our days. When really, we need to stop, slow down, breathe, write, and read our own thoughts. Thoughts that become actions. Remember when we would write notes in class and pass them to each other? I loved getting notes, but I honestly loved writing them too. It made us think about the purpose and what we were writing, therefore saying. An art, really. And then I would save the notes in my journal to back up whatever story I had to share that day. See, an art.

What I’m getting at is that writing everything down helps me clear some of that mental clutter of the day to see some patterns of thoughts, feelings, and who knows- maybe hidden meanings behind the pretty days. And hey, I don’t always find the answers, but I always feel great after putting it on paper.

Sometimes I realize I was making something much bigger in my head than it actually was. And sometimes I was freaking epically right.

A Place Where You Can Be Honest

One of my favorite things about a journal is that no one else has to read it.

You don’t have to sound positive.

You don’t have to have everything figured out.

You can celebrate the good days, vent about the hard ones, write down dreams that feel impossible, or simply write, or even draw a picture. You know I still draw the same dream home picture in all of my journals? Yep, still a square box, 4 windows, blue shutters, white stone walls, and a deck off the master suite with a fireplace shoot (always drew that so Santa could always come in) because no way am I sharing my deck with guests (actual thoughts in my 6th grade journal). What can I say, I knew what I wanted.

Oh, and also, there’s something freeing about knowing the page isn’t judging you.

Looking Back Is My Favorite Part

Every once in a while, I’ll open an old journal and start reading.

I laugh at things I thought were such a big deal.

I remember little moments I would have forgotten otherwise.

Sometimes I see how much I’ve grown without even realizing it.

It’s a reminder that hard seasons don’t last forever.

Except for my black capri pants, my sister Layne and her best buddy Bly (hey Bly, if you’re reading this!) would laugh at me for wearing them every day. Yep- I wore them every single day to the point where they were gray in some parts. I mean, hey, I thought I looked cute. Kind of wish I put a piece of my black/ gray pants in my journal to look at now and laugh.

Let’s talk about Journaling with Kids

If you have kids, give them a notebook and let them make it their own.

It doesn’t have to be perfect.

Maybe they draw a picture of their day.

Maybe they write one thing they’re thankful for.

Maybe they tape in a leaf they found on a walk or a movie ticket from a family night out.

Years from now, those little notebooks might become some of their favorite keepsakes.

You Don’t Need Anything Fancy

Forget the expensive journals and perfect handwriting.

Grab a notebook from the kitchen drawer.

Write one sentence.

Write ten pages.

There isn’t a right or wrong way to do it.

The important part is showing up.

If You Don’t Know What to Write…

Start with one of these:

• What’s on my mind today?
• What made me smile?
• What challenged me?
• What am I grateful for?
• What do I need more of?
• What do I want to let go of?
• What’s one thing I hope for tomorrow?

That’s it.

One Last Thought

Our lives are made up of ordinary days.

The bus stop waits.
The walks outside.
The cups of coffee.
The messy kitchens.
The quiet mornings.
The moments that don’t seem important at the time.

Those are often the memories we miss the most. I have a few memories of my sister Layne, and I like to think I’ll remember her amazing taste in fashion or her reminding me of my lack thereof. Ha (I’m actually not laughing at all, Layne)

Writing down your memories of the day is a way of saying, “This mattered.”

And maybe that’s the real power of journaling—not creating the perfect story but making sure you don’t forget about…your very own black pants.