the story
“Lookin’ like Moesha over there, now all you need is the soundtrack they used when she would journal.” IYKYK.
Though Moesha may have been buggin’ from time to time, it’s still cute af to be compared to her, but I digress. I was sitting at my favorite coffee shop journaling on a Saturday morning when my friend and favorite barista (and lowkey crush, oop) playfully commented on the journaling ritual I’d established. Wake up early on the weekend, head over to the coffee shop, order a chai or oat milk latte, and flood my journal pages until I can’t anymore. A consistent highlight of my weekend.
Over the past six years, journaling has become a lifeline of mine. I wrote when I got my big internship out in Silicon Valley, when I started Bright-Eyed Joy, when I manifested an article in Black Girl In Om that led to being published in Teen Vogue. I wrote when I was struggling with myself and my identity, trying to figure out who the hell I really was. I wrote all the little details of my encounters with the man I thought I would end up with, thinking one day I’d want to look back on our early memories. I wrote through the discomfort of things changing, people changing, myself included. I wrote about pretty much everything and still do.
My journals are my own personal history, a documentation of my many seasons, something special just for me. I love looking back and seeing just how many steps I’ve moved forward, a reminder of the progress that I sometimes feel I’m not making fast enough.
It wasn’t always this easy to just pick up and write. I used to be one of those people who thought they didn’t have time, wouldn’t know what to write about, or simply that it wasn’t my thing. Plus, let’s be honest. It can be pretty uncomfortable to get up close and personal with yourself and try to peel back the layers of what’s really going on up there, especially when it ain’t all that pretty. I may have been just a liiiiiittle scared of what would come out.
With time and consistency, the daunting and somewhat awkward practice became an essential part of maintaining my mental health. Now, I can’t go a week without it. Miss Moesha would be proud.
the lesson
My journal has become one of the safest spaces I have. I can be fully raw and vulnerable in ways that I never have to be with anyone else, which helps so much when trying to sort through complex, repetitive feelings or habits that make me feel stuck. There’s something cathartic about writing your thoughts out on a fresh sheet of paper, uncovering your truth as you go, and then closing the book with newfound clarity that wasn’t there before. Moving forward becomes a lot easier when I clear my headspace with a quick journaling session. Though I struggled with what to write initially, moving past the discomfort associated with writing out my thoughts ended up really paying off.
As someone who deals with a lot of anxiety, a regular journaling practice has also helped tremendously with my mental health. What I’ve found is that if I don’t sort out my thoughts on a regular basis, a lot of tension tends to build up and bubble over. All of a sudden I’m out here making mountains out of molehills, and that’s no fun. As I’ve learned how to live with my insanely busy (and panicky) brain, one thing that will almost always get me right is taking pen to paper. All the thoughts + pen + paper = Ayorinde, with less things to worry about because she left it all in the journal.
the light
Journaling helps me understand myself, and my guess is that if you’re reading this newsletter you’re probably interested in a little self-reflection yourself. If you’ve been wanting to start a journaling practice, now is the time my friend. Here’s a few prompts to get you started:
What’s one great thing and one not so great thing that happened today? Dive into exactly why you felt that way for each moment.
Pick something in the future that you’re really excited about and write down a few reasons why this is going to bring in all the good feels
If you were to be completely honest with yourself about how you’re feeling in this moment, what comes to mind? Name two things you can do that may help you either shift your perspective or enhance the state of mind that you have.
If you’re having trouble figuring out what to write, these can help get you started. But remember, you don’t need structure. Just you, your thoughts, a notebook, and a pen. Don’t judge, just write, and notice how it feels for you over time. If you end up trying the prompts, reply back to this email and let me know how it went ❤️