Faith Tong (Week 3): the "journaling every morning" trend
the "journaling every morning" trend
by Faith Tong
There was a period of time when my whole TikTok page was filled with repetitive videos of journaling and self care. It was honestly probably one of the most beneficial and positive trends on social media. I would scroll through videos and take a glimpse into every person's morning routine. One thing they all had in common was journaling. This got me curious about how journaling was helping people improve their day to day lives.
Of course, I had to pull up the good old ordinary definition of journaling. According to Merriam-Webster, journaling is a record of experiences, ideas, or reflections kept regularly for private use. On the other hand, the journaling trend online is used more for self-affirmations, goals, and gratitude. For example, most people would write down the things that would strengthen them mentally. This could include imprinting powerful words such as "I am enough", "I am in charge of my happiness", or "I am successful". Although saying these phrases does not promise action immediately, it definitely builds up someone's confidence in themselves and start believing that they can accomplish the goals set in front of them.
Recording goals is also another component of journaling. Peoples' goals could range from improvement in their daily lives, relationships, or even school. I guess for students like us right now, our goals could include staying on top of homework, prioritizing mental health when needed, and still maintaining time for family and friends. Although at first these goals may sound like a lot of work, by physically recording these ideas can help someone to stay motivated and have a clear picture of what they want to accomplish.
Gratitude helps those who journal maintain a positive mindset. By being thankful for even the smallest things in your life, you can begin to see the good in your everyday life. Being thankful can set up our mindset to not be easily irritated when we're not having the best day.
All in all, all these components of journaling are indeed very useful and we should definitely use it to our advantage! Would you try out journaling?
Comments
I've also seen that trend and I did want to try it, however I don't have any notebooks at home, so I didn't do it. I feel like I wouldn't be consistent either so I did not feel like investing in one. I do think that reflecting on my feelings is good, because it is an outlet for self-improvement. I also see the value in gratitude and I also tell myself to remember to practice gratitude but I always forget. I am glad that this quarantine allowed people to indulge themselves in self-care, because self-care is very important, yet often forgotten because of our busy schedules. Once in a while, we should do some self-care, even if we are super busy.
I find bullet journaling in specific therapeutic; I don’t journal, but I do see a lot of other people do so. It’s the overall aesthetics that entice me. Pages can be neat and organized, messy and chaotic, fit a certain theme that encapsulates the entire journal, etc. There are so many ways to note down schedules, make to-do lists, or create a bucket list. Aside from the creative aspect of bujo, the writing aspect plays a greater part in, as you said, immortalizing one’s life or recording goals. In addition, journaling daily as opposed to whenever you have the time to can build commitment and feelings of fulfillment. I’d love to try journaling sometime!
-Angel
I actually wrote in a diary when I was in 1st grade up until about 5th grade. I mainly wrote in it for commemorate significant events in my life to look back upon later. I think that it’s cool how some people today make really artistic journals using washi tape and fancy markers. Personally, I don’t have the skill or time to do so. In the future, I would actually like to pick up journaling and see the impact that it has on my health.
I remember my mom forcing me to keep a journal where I would document what I had been doing everyday and she would proofread it for me. I think it began in kindergarten to fourth grade. I tried reading my stuff a couple weeks ago and I was absolutely cringing at everything along with the little doodles that I had drawn in the notebook. Now, I just reflect my actions or day with the notes app. I love ranting to myself sometimes and it just works well.
Overall, I think Journaling is a good thing to regardless of trend or other such influences. Journaling for a couple of days helps explore and express your thoughts on something. Sometimes looking back at the journal really explores yourself and look bat at stuff.
I have always wanted to keep a diary so that I can read it after randomly finding it. I tried doing this last summer but I just gave up because who likes writing in some book about life just so that future you can just get depressed at the situation they are in. I actually would try journaling if it didn't include the writing part of it lol.
Sincerely,
Mrinmayee
I liked reading your post. Journaling is definitely a good way to do self-reflection. It allows you to see how your perspective has changed. I remember that in elementary school, my fifth-grade teacher had asked us to keep a diary for a few days. When I look back at it now, it is so interesting to see my thoughts back then and how I have grown so much. I personally don’t think I would try journaling in the sense that I would write everyday, but I might try writing about important events that happened in my life instead so I can look back at those events in the future.