I’m going to be extremely real with you for a moment: the whole “Dear Diary” formula has run its course. Its tacky and cliché. You don’t need a “diary.”
Instead of referring to your daily thoughts as your diary, consider keeping them within a “journal.” News flash, diaries have been and always will be an over-glorified journal. Whoever’s idea it was to call them diaries probably just wanted to make a quick buck on the more gullible members of society. There’s nothing wrong with thinking of putting your daily thoughts into a diary, but often times a certain stigma goes along with calling it a diary.
Typically, diaries are associated with vulnerability. Change that mentality. Diaries, or more preferably, journals, are meant to be tools of success and struggle; not only associated with struggle and vulnerability. Whew, now that we’ve got diaries out of the way, let’s delve into journals.
Start jotting down your thoughts. Whether you scribble down the pandemonium that goes on within your head at the end of the day, or release your ideas slowly over time, just write them down. Prolong your ideas.
Let’s say, for instance, that you think of the best pun in the world. Write that sucker down. Who knows, maybe you’ll take it to the max, slap the pun on a brand name and make millions of dollars. You’ll never find out if you don’t write down that idea.
Long story short, humans tend to be forgetful. You can give the ole’ song and dance that you’ve got the best memory that you know, but when it comes down to it, we’re all fairly forgetful. Thoughts, ideas, dreams, even the songs that you can’t seem to get out of your head, write em’ all down. The best part about journaling these seemingly normal thoughts is that you can return to them at a moment’s notice.
Don’t know where to start? Just throw those thoughts right into the journal. Nobody is going to grade you on grammar, sentence structure or spelling. Write backward and read it in the mirror, for all I care. It’s YOUR journal. You have all the power. After all, they’re your ideas.
Sometimes I like to write poems in my journal; most of the time they’re fairly short. More often than not, journal entries are relatively short, but you can write anywhere from a handful of lines to multiple pages. Now, if you’re a gung-ho save-the-trees advocate, as we should all strive to be because oxygen is pretty crucial, start doodling in your margins. Got a haiku that’s three lines? Draw what’s on your mind, or better yet, draw to accompany the poem. Not into poetry? Doodle anyway. Sometimes it liberates the mind and frees the thoughts trapped way back there. Not into drawing? It’s YOUR journal, stick it to the man.
Journals can be symbolic of maturity and strength. I tend to journal once or twice a week, choosing to combine thoughts in bulk and write about my struggles and successes. When I overcome a particular hardship, it’s often evident through my writing. It’s kind of like how Hollywood portrays diaries. The media often shows diaries and journals as outlets for struggle. However, journals don’t have to be filled with struggle. Tell Homer-esque tales of your everyday victories.
“Today I ate three meals in the caf.”
Or stick with writing about struggles and finding the strength to overcome them.
“If I keep spending my Chick money at this rate, I’ll be broke by April. Guess I’ll start eating three meals in the caf.”
Be bold with your writing and choose the direction that you feel in the moment. If you feel the need to express disdain for someone or something, write about it. The one thing that Hollywood truly expresses is a person’s underlying interest in journals. Keep your journal safe, as you would the thoughts in your head. If you’re truly scared of someone seeing it, don’t write anything in it that you wouldn’t want being said about you. You can exercise your freedom of speech through your journal, but use precaution and your judgment as you would with any other interaction.
Personally, I feel that journals are a great method of handling stress. Write until your hand cramps up. Write the stress away. It’s kind of ironic in an environment where students write constantly throughout the day, but writing tends to take your mind off of distractions. Definitely stop if you get hand cramps though, nobody is forcing you to write your thoughts. Hand cramps are the worst.
Try writing your thoughts out for a week, and if you don’t enjoy it then hey, you can blame me. Journaling is an excellent routine that everyone should give a try at some point in his or her life. If you prefer the term “diary,” and you made it through this article, then more power to you. Keep on calling it “diary.”
By staff writer: Will Blase
