By Julia Kemp
Like many overthinkers, I’ve found that I tend to bottle up harmful emotions or thoughts until they explode. While I love to rant to my loved ones or let the world know my struggles via my private story, I’ve found that journaling can be equally therapeutic; it’s helpful in scenarios where I need to rant, but where ranting might lead to more consequences than not.
While I do love the emotional release that journaling provides, it can be quite a chore at times. I lose my notebooks, forget to write, or lose interest altogether. However, my journaling hobby stuck once I made an important realization: I can define my own journaling habits. Journaling doesn’t have to mean perfectly written entries in a leatherbound notebook (while it can if you want it to). In fact, a couple of words hastily typed in my notes app counts as journaling for me. The most important thing about this therapeutic hobby is that you are able to express yourself through words, and that you don’t let your thoughts bottle up. So, I encourage everyone to write things down every once in a while. Good memories, angry rants, emotional letters that can never be sent—these topics are best processed when journaled.