Hannah Johnson, iEG contributor
As the great Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
We rarely take the time to reflect upon our day-to-day lives. There are some moments we want to cherish forever, and others we wish will disappear. All of our experiences, though, create our story.
A few years ago, I decided that it was time I start documenting my life– for better or for worse. Even though I am a journalism student, I have never been one to journal or have a diary. I couldn’t commit to writing everyday and never felt like any thing substantial enough happened. Then I discovered a new form of journaling that took only one minute a day… or rather one sentence.
I started my journaling journey with The Happiness Project One-Sentence Journal, a five-year diary. Every night before I go to bed, I write down one sentence about my day, and I’m forced to look back on my day and remember my accomplishments. I am entering my fourth year with the journal, and it’s so fun to see what I did on the same day over two years ago.
According to University of Rochester Medical Center, writing in a journal can help you deal and manage your stress, anxiety, and depression. Staying consistent with your journaling also helps with self-discipline and goal setting, and it’s a great outlet for your emotions when you can’t express yourself out loud and want to keep your feelings to yourself.
There are a million ways to start one-sentence journaling. Try keeping a food journal, and track your progress on your vegan lifestyle, and make sure you’re getting all the yummy nutrients that you need! Most bookstores carry a large variety of one sentence journals, ranging from ones aimed at college students to new parents. There is also a great app called Day One, which even records the day’s temperature and weather and will send you customized reminders to write! Still, a good, old-fashioned pen and paper always does the job well.
It’s never to late to start journaling. It’s amazing to travel back in time and reflect on your experiences through writing, even if it is only one sentence. So, get up and start writing! Your mind (and body) will be thankful.
And, as always, Ryan approves.
Hannah Johnson is a freshman at Northwestern University who would rather be eating mock meat and watching reality television.