RomantiCurious

I have always been fond of reading and writing out my thoughts and feelings. These were my favorite past times when I was a child and one of the benefits is that it made studying more convenient for me as I was truly interested in what I was reading. I did not pick a genre to read and I wrote down my thoughts knowing no one would read them.

My only difficulty for academic reading and writing was Math and other aspects of subjects that needed memorization. For example, I find reading about history interesting but I couldn’t really memorize the dates though I can recite the details of the significants events and in their chronological order too.

As an adult, I still kept my diaries and then I got fascinated with bullet journaling and its creative expression. I still use journals for now but not as regularly as I did before. But I still recall the joy of accomplishing my first journal spread then, even if it didn’t look as pretty as those that inspired me to start.

I was reminded of this part of my life when I was decluttering and came across my old journals. I took pictures of them for keepsake purposes before I let them go. They are relics of an old version of me who didn’t have as many concerns as I do now and it was a joyous time that I want to remember and find again.

My first attempts weren’t that attractive at all. Even I found them not cute or pretty as my inspirations. But they were organized and functional and so I was satisfied. They also had a bit of color so it was at least not boring to look at.

To make things more interesting I incorporated space for something I loved to do – doodles. I liked that it made the journal spread more interesting without having to invest in a lot of stickers, washi tape and other journaling stationery items. Even my notebook was one I had been keeping for a while and not new.

I was fascinated with trackers too so I made my own. However, like most people, I was enthusiastic to complete the tracker but I couldn’t really keep up with the habits. But it was fun to know I could check my progress whenever I want to. It helps me know what’s working for me and what’s not working so I can investigate why it’s not working.

Of course, my favorite tracker is the Doodle Challenge spread. Completing the daily challenges are sometimes daunting since I don’t really know how to draw but seeing them displayed after a few days makes me want to reach the end of the month to see the final result. It was a fun way to destress through a creative challenge.

Finally, I created a weekly spread which integrated my exercise and food log as well as a place for my doodles. I came up with it also because I finally bought a cute notebook with nice paper so I wanted my spreads to look cute as well.

It’s still not as cute as I wanted it to be but it wasn’t boring and it puts everything I love in one spread. The most important part is that it’s pretty functional and compact which is what I wanted.

I still journal until now but more of a Dear Diary type of journaling when I just want to put thoughts to paper in the quiet of early mornings or late at night. I also have a separate journal for my doodles and sketches and another one for work planning. I keep them separate now as it helps me focus.

In the end, whatever type of journaling you do, it is a way to record your journey and how you have changed throughout the years. It is a way to look back at the past and have tangible records to review and reflect on aside from just the memories in our heads.

With journals, when you need to let go of that phase or part of you from the past – it is easy to do so physically. There is something very satisfying about burning away old entries and notes, or even old letters as an act of forgiveness and letting go to move forward. Those moments are always a significant period in our lives and the stories we leave behind are always interesting and serve as fuel for our next steps.