Georgina Lucy | 26 Mar 2016

Why I love journaling

 

A short and sweet blog post today about why I love journaling, in the hope it may inspire some of you to start writing a journal.

Last weekend I had some time to kill whilst I waited for my husband to do a 20 mile run (yes, he’s a weirdo). My plan was to find a coffee shop and write a blog post. I did start to do this but what I was writing about sparked me to want to re-read some of my old diary entries, so I ditched the blog and did just that.

Writing has always been very therapeutic for me. It helps me make sense of things. I’m also quite sentimental and like to do whatever I can to remember special times and moments and getting things down on paper (or electronically) is such a great way to treasure certain moments.

Whilst I have many diaries in my parents’ attic from my childhood and teens, I went digital from my early twenties so have lots of my writing saved on my laptop so I had a read through what I was getting up to in my early twenties, and all the thoughts and feelings that were going on for me at the time.

It felt strange to be sat in Costa, just a few months from my 30th birthday, to be transported back to a time in my life when things were so much more uncertain. I’d written about lots of the normal things we all go through in life at one time or another; heartbreak, insecurity, low self-esteem.

As life moves along and changes quickly, so do we, often without really noticing. Reading my journals felt like a real privilege as it allowed me to truly reflect and look at how things have changed, both in terms of my practical circumstances and my mindset.

It’s often not until I start to write that I even know what it is I am feeling and as we get older, I do think feelings and emotions tend to sometimes get buried under the brave face we put on for the world. We all have worries, no matter how big or small, and writing can be a powerful way to honour them and express them.

I’d urge anyone who has never written a journal to give it a go. Try not to judge what you are writing and just write. Write about what you’ve done today, and from that, write about how you’re feeling today and then you will find it flows from there, and just let it. It’s not for anyone other than you so just got with it. You can be totally honest and just get everything out.

I’m so happy I read through my journals last weekend. I loved having the opportunity to remember and celebrate my 20 year old self and reflect on how things have changed. There’s much more I can say about this, but will save it for another time.

For now, I just wanted to say that keeping a journal is one of the best things I’ve done and it’s never too late to start or re-start journaling so give it a whirl and let me know how you get on!

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