125 Journal Entries Later

A list of learnings about the process, the experience and the outcome.

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• There is no right or wrong way to journal; there is only one that suits you. I maintained a journal for a short while when I was 11 (I still have it!). I wrote every detail about my day. There may not have been any learnings in those journal entries, but that’s what I felt comfortable doing back then. How I journal now is so different from how I journaled then, but my past has led me to the present. That’s all I know.

• The best part about journaling is that there is no backspace. That is why my journal entries are full of manual corrections, which add a human touch to the entire experience. How often do we get that in a digital world.

• A journal will never judge you no matter what, so you can truly be yourself.

Last week, I accidentally revisited a place I wrote a journal entry about 2 years ago - so surreal!

• Writing a journal entry with a blue pen is simply not acceptable!

  I have tried it, and it has never given me the same level of satisfaction that a journal entry written with a black pen has. (I have since concluded that my eyes can never get used to that aesthetic.)

• I have proof of my progress. My journal has seen the days when I was on a career break and questioning everything. It has also seen the days when I felt free, present and at peace.

• Consistency is not compulsory for the whole experience to be fulfilling when it comes to journaling. I have only managed to write 125 entries in the last 731 days, but I could have written none, and easily missed out on building something meaningful, thinking there is no point in continuing if I am not consistent.

• I have physical proof of which habits have worked for me and which haven’t in my wellness journey. For instance, I know that making my bed first thing in the morning impacts me positively. So, whenever I step out of that habit, I know I need to get back into it. 

• When I was a kid, my parents used to get our pictures printed and convert them into photo albums. We have sadly moved away from that culture many years ago. With my second journal, I decided to print and paste pictures of meaningful moments of my life next to some journal entries and it has only added more meaning and converted my journal into a memory book for generations to come. 

• The reason why Unwind is still up and running is because of my journal. I never realised until recently that most of my weekly newsletters were once a journal entry (including this one). It is easy to block creativity from your life when you live on autopilot. In the last two years, a tiny notebook has served as a bridge for me to walk out of the autopilot lifestyle. I will forever be grateful!

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THIS WEEK’s RECOMMENDATIONS

This week, I have decided to share my favourite post from each of the top 3 publications I read this summer, as shared by

Substack

. Hope you enjoy reading these posts as much as I did!

• A Few Things by

  Patrick Muindi
  .

• Finding home by

  Louise Tilbrook
  .

• Tomorrow Will Rain by

  Antony Henao
  .

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If you enjoy reading Unwind, I would love it if you consider recommending the publication to your readers. Simply go to your dashboard > Recommendations > Manage > Add recommendation > Unwind.

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Little Things That Aren't So Little

Finding Home

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