Journaling, Part One: A 27-Year Love Affair

Travel journal (Greece, 2019)

The Accidental Beginning 

I have kept a journal of some kind since 1998 when I was an undergraduate. It was kind of an accident, really. I was struggling with anxiety and depression at the time and while taking notes in class one day, I started to jot down my thoughts in a little blue notebook.

It was like a release valve. Even though none of the circumstances of my life had changed, I felt better. In those early days, I didn't realize I was developing a practice that would become essential to my mental health and personal growth for decades to come.

Finding My Way Through Methods 

Since then I've tried journaling in nearly every conceivable format: audio recordings during long drives, watercolor emotional landscapes, carefully organized bullet journals, image collections and collages, writing by hand in everything from leather-bound journals to grocery store notebooks, typing on typewriters and laptops, using an Apple Pencil on an iPad, and various journaling apps on my iPhone. I've written on napkins in coffee shops, scraps of paper during meetings, and in handmade journals gifted by friends.

It all works. Every method of journaling helps me process my inner experience; it's just a matter of matching the method to my current state of mind. Sometimes writing by hand helps slow my racing thoughts and feels calming; sometimes it's too slow and feels frustrating. On those days, audio journaling or typing are better.

The Morning Ritual 

Twenty-seven years later, I still begin most days with coffee and writing. This ritual has become essential — on weekdays it might be 10 to 30 minutes where I can reflect and clear my mind before the demands of the day take over. On a quiet weekend morning, it could be a couple of hours of thinking and processing.

Usually I write by hand, although sometimes my thoughts are moving so fast it feels better to type them out. There's something about the physical act of writing that connects me to myself in a way that nothing else quite does.

First journal, c. 1998

An Enduring Relationship 

This might sound dramatic, but journaling has been my most faithful companion through decades of life's twists and turns. During dark times, when anxiety or grief threatened to overwhelm, my journal offered refuge — a judgment-free space where my raw, unfiltered thoughts could live. It has witnessed my growth, kept my secrets, and helped me untangle my most complicated feelings. Unlike well-meaning friends who might say that I need to "move on" or "get over it," the journal pages remain steadfast, quietly absorbing the ink until I’m done writing, without demanding anything in return.

I'll never forget the day I found an old black-and-white Composition Book during a painful breakup. It was lying unceremoniously in a box of stuff I hadn’t looked at in years. As I flipped through the pages filled with my own handwriting, I was stunned. The relationship problems crushing me now were documented there in my own words — five years earlier, during our first months together.

It was validating yet bewildering. I did know how I felt from the very beginning. The red flags were right there, recorded in blue ink.

Why had I ignored my own insights? What made me push aside what I clearly already knew?

Finding that journal became more than an eye-opening moment. It created a through line, connecting present-me with past-me, reestablishing trust in my own inner knowing. In those pages, I found a more solid sense of self — proof of my continuity and consistency in who I am, how I feel, and what I truly want.

How This Informs My Work 

As a therapist, my personal experience with journaling has deeply informed how I introduce this practice to clients. I don't believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, I help each person discover their own unique relationship with journaling —finding the methods and rhythms that work specifically for them. Because I've experienced firsthand how this simple practice can be transformative, I'm passionate about sharing its benefits while honoring each individual's journey.

In my next post, I'll explore the tools and methods that have worked best over my 27 years of journaling — and why the most expensive journal I ever owned was my least favorite.