College life is overwhelming. Life happens: people disappoint you, relationships fail and you feel homesick. Sometimes you feel like you have nowhere to go or no one to talk to. The best place to go is your journal.
Take some time out of your day, and just write. Let all of your emotions out: excitement, anger and stress. Your journal is a place to organize your thoughts. We have constant ruminations running through our heads every day, and writing down these thoughts can make people feel more relaxed. You will be surprised how good you feel once you’re done journaling.
For a lot of college students, sitting down and writing in a journal isn’t something they would choose to do on their own. This time in our lives is extremely busy, and attempting to balance school, work, friends and family often feels like a near-impossible feat. Journaling is a healthy way to reduce anxiety and process difficult emotions, even if you take only 10 minutes out of your day to write.
Journaling has multiple benefits other than reducing stress; for sophomore nursing major Bella Hill, journaling helps improve her memory.
“There are a lot of times that I will try to recap a moment, and I find when I am writing it down I’m able to remember more of exactly what happened; how I felt in the moment, my emotions, what I was thinking and what was going through my head …” Hill said. “Not only will the memory last, but also what I was thinking in that moment and what I wanted to experience- a lot of things start to come back to me.”
For Hill, not only does journaling sharpen her memory, but it paves the way for deeper self-discovery. For people who journal, they often start to notice growth; this leads to happier and more confident thoughts.
“I’ve been journaling since junior year of high school. I’ve kept all my journals … it reduces my stress by really allowing me to get all my emotions out, you know, when I’m angry or frustrated about something that’s happened,” Hill said.
Releasing your emotions and stress is a great way to clear your mind and calm down your nervous system, which leads to better sleep, less anxious thoughts and a healthier lifestyle overall.
Journaling is how you get everyday’s stressful thoughts out of your mind and onto paper. Simply writing down what you’re thankful for before you go to bed can train your brain to focus on the good in your life and reduce everyday tension. Journaling is also a way to gain more self-confidence. Looking back on what you’ve written in your journal allows you to see the progress you’ve made in life, what you have been through and gives you proof that you can handle hard things. Reading your old journal entries can remind you of funny moments, hardships you’ve experienced or even something small you feel proud of now.
Taking time out of your day to sit down and write may seem like just another thing to add to your busy schedule. But if you try journaling, even for just a little bit every day, you will notice that it clears your mind and allows you to reflect. Whether you write down something you're angry about, something you're looking forward to, or even something you love about yourself, journaling gives you the chance to take a moment for yourself with zero judgment.
Although journaling may not be for everyone, sometimes writing your thoughts down is all it takes to let go for a bit. Next time you feel stressed out, pick up your journal.
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