Throughout my 20 years of life, I have constantly heard how important it is to meditate and journal. Doctors, therapists, friends and family have always informed me how beneficial both actions are for ones mental health, including being able to mitigate stress and provide a sense of calmness. I dabbled in meditation and journaling, but I never devoted a ton of time to it. Instagram reels, emails, schoolwork, and my social life always seemed more important to me.

Recently, however, I have begun a routine that the author Julia Cameron calls morning pages. I wake up about 20 minutes earlier than my normal start time each day, and journal three pages. What I am writing isnt life-changing by any means. Rather, it's my stream of consciousness laid out on the page as soon as I open my eyes.

At the beginning of this journaling process, my pages consisted of me complaining about how I had other things to do, or how I was too tired to think. One day, I just wrote ugh over and over.

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Now that I am farther along in the process, I have seen a difference in the journals contents. I know, I sound like every other person in my life, but its true. I have become calmer, more laid back, and I am more aware of myself and the things I want to achieve. I no longer say yes to everything that comes my way, but rather consider whether the event will make me happy, or if staying home and doing something else will spark my interest more.

I have also become more creative. I am overcoming the inner voice inside of me I always listened to the one telling me my ideas werent good enough or that I wouldnt be able to articulate them well. Instead, I go for it. I paint the idea I had, or I write the article I thought about. These morning journal entries have let me think more freely and express myself.

Although it takes time and effort to wake up and hand write three pages of my inner thoughts every morning, it has helped a lot. From various Google searches and talking to family and friends, I have found it beneficial for other individuals as well.

Others simply do it for the aesthetic. It doesnt matter if Olivia Rodrigo does the morning journals every day - or if Kylie Jenner does them either. If their influence is what is inspiring you to sit down and write, you arent doing it for yourself, and you're losing the purpose of the whole exercise. Everything starts to unfold when you want to do it yourself. So, I will not tell you to sit and journal, but I will recommend it.

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Meditation, on the other hand, is still a challenge for me. I have not sat down and meditated in probably five years, and at this moment, I don't see myself doing it. Meditation has been said to be important for a healthy life, but sitting for an hour with just myself honestly sounds exhausting. I dont think my brain can fully handle just my thoughts for that long. I need to be able to write out my thoughts rather than sit with them and let them pass. Journaling has helped me so much, and I do believe meditation would too, however, I would like to master one skill at a time.

At some point, I hope that by continuing the morning pages I will be able to sit with myself in meditation for an hour or so and not think of anything to allow mental clarity. For now, though, writing my morning pages has helped. With every morning page, I learn more about myself, and I plan to stick with them to grow even more in the future.

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Column: A journal entry a day keeps the doctor away - Indiana Daily Student