By: Marie Jen Galilo, Staff Writer 

Some journalers have their own “ecosystems” — a collection of journals that serve different purposes. My journal ecosystem consists of a junk journal, a tea journal, a random thoughts journal, and what I call my “plain writing” journal. My junk journal is a gallery of mementos and random objects that all match an aesthetic theme, while my tea journal contains envelopes of teas I’ve tried, and my random thoughts journal houses spontaneous thoughts. I like decorating my junk and tea journals with patterned papers, pictures, stickers, and other keepsakes, but these journals can be difficult to maintain. Aesthetics should not impede you from experiencing the benefits of journaling, which is why plain writing journals exist and a good place to start. 

There’s so much power in written words — in conversations, you don’t always have the time to choose your words. When you write, you can take as much time as you need to craft sentences that reflect your sentiments. 

Journals are time machines in the palm of your hands that let you look back and reflect on your growth. When something memorable happens, I write about it as soon as possible to capture how I felt in that exact moment. How the writing looks shows a state of being that exists in that moment. When my thoughts are rushing out, it looks messier and fluid. When I’m calm, the writing looks neater, with consistently shaped letters that are evenly spaced out. Reading vivid descriptions in past journal entries lets me relive those memorable moments. 

If you’ve ever thought about journaling but don’t know where to start, I encourage you to just write. Your life is a story worth writing about, and the pages of a journal are waiting to hold it.