Written by: Emily White
Over the past 10 years or so, I have journaled nearly 800 entries and have nine notebooks filled with stories to show for it. Though I initially began regularly journaling because I was inspired by a diary-keeping book character, I’ve kept it up because I have found value in being able to reflect on who I once was and comparing that to where I am now.
I started my first journal in fifth grade, but I wrote in it only once or twice a month. It wasn’t until my seventh grade year that I modeled my personality after Nikki Maxwell from “Dork Diaries.” I would spend around an hour each night detailing the important events of that day, accompanied by drawings, diagrams and short comics. Looking back on those entries transports me to a simpler time when I spent hours playing with dolls and voraciously read as many books as I could check out from the library at a time.
When I reread my entries as a university student, I find that although I have grown in many ways, I still deal with the insecurities that have held me captive for more than three years. My general shyness, aversion to new experiences and bouts of imposter syndrome are still hindrances in my daily life. However, even though I sometimes feel like I have not made much progress, I can see the small steps I’ve taken to work through these issues when I compare my entries now to my entries from freshman year.
Both journaling and rereading my journal entries help me to learn a lot about myself, and they encourage me as I see how I’ve grown over the years. By having a physical record of my past self, it’s easier for me to recognize the differences between who I once was and who I am now.
Do you want to start your own history book, too? Here is a list of miscellaneous tips and tricks that I’ve accumulated over the years.
- Consider how you want to preserve your history. Do you want to use an electronic device (Google Docs, notes app, journal app, etc.), or do you want a tangible copy (journals, scrapbooks, photo albums)?
- A note on physical journals: Think about what sort of notebooks you want to use. Lately I have been splurging on journals with decorative covers and high-quality paper. My favorite feature is the pocket in the back, where I can keep photographs, handwritten notes, and other small mementos that correspond with events I record. I currently get my journals from Paperblanks; if you’re looking for something simpler in design, try a journal from MUJI, Moleskine or LEUCHTTURM1917. There’s nothing wrong with composition notebooks from your local department store, either.
- The good and bad thing about journaling is that you can choose what to write down — or what to not write down. Sometimes I wish I had decided to write about painful instances so I can see how I worked through them. Unfortunately, I often choose to not write about emotionally draining events.
- The act of writing down a bad experience makes me have to relive it in that moment; if I choose to reread that entry in the future, I will have to relive it again then, as well. Only in rare instances do I journal on hard topics, and in even rarer instances will I choose to not skip those entries when I do my semi-annual journal read-throughs. Keep this in mind as you choose what to record for your personal history, and try to balance what you want to remember with what you need to write down to organize your thoughts.
- Don’t be surprised if your journaling style changes over time. In this season of life, my journaling is mostly lists of things I hope to write about later, when I have more time to set aside. Writing for hours on end, as I did in my youth, is no longer practical for me as a full-time student.
- Remember that journaling is about what you want to preserve and how you want to preserve it. Don’t feel pressured to journal like what you see promoted on social media or copy what your friends do, but don’t be afraid to use them as inspiration, either.
