There are many people at Air Academy who love to journal. Journaling isn’t just about writing feelings down, it can benefit mental health and promote healthy coping mechanisms. Journaling techniques can make it fun and more engaging as well. Journaling is helpful throughout someone’s teenage years because it is hard to deal with certain emotions and people are still learning.

Journaling relieves stress without having to take it out on others or having to talk it out. Emotions are a tricky thing, and just writing them down has so many pros.

“It helps to identify and prioritize problems or issues a person may be struggling with. It also helps to release pent-up emotions that can reduce what is known as ’emotional build-up.’ Emotional build-up can be unhealthy because it’s like “sweeping your problems under the rug” and not dealing with them in a healthy manner. This can lead to consistent feelings of anxiety and possibly depression,” Mr. Hillstrom described.

Emotional build-up is real and leads to unhealthy coping mechanisms that can possibly be a huge downfall. Dealing with problems and emotions through paper  is easier than going to therapy or talking to someone that might not understand.

The benefits of journaling are countless. Writing down the goals that are achievable, writing self-motivating comments, improving writing skills, and finding inspiration are just a few.

“Journaling allows me to get all of my angry thoughts out on paper instead of taking it out on others. It has helped with my relationships and has helped me become overall nicer to people,” sophomore Jake Wike commented.

Taking out issues on others is how destruction happens within relationships, and relationships can be hard to fix. Writing in a notebook or on paper will decrease the things that are holding someone back from living in the moment.

Emotional build-up can lead to exploding in a very harsh manner. Screaming, yelling, and crying are unhealthy ways to get a point across.

“I used to bottle up all my feelings and then let them all out at once. Now, I am able to let my feelings out when I need to and keep them to myself,” junior Emma Meyer stated. 

Journaling doesn’t have to be an everyday thing; it is okay to only write when absolutely needed.

Many therapists will recommend journaling to their clients, and that is when a lot of people actually get into it. Most people will find that journaling has saved them in many ways.

“I used to never journal because I thought it wouldn’t do anything, but my therapist recommended it and now I love it. I write in a notebook and then rip out the page to throw away,” junior Isaac Martinez responded. 

Ripping out the page that was written on can be a way for the issue or emotion to be “let go”. People can personalize the way they write in any way possible.

Not only can journaling be beneficial to mental health, but it can be made into a craft or something enjoyable. Journaling has many benefits to teenagers and it should be recognized even more. It is amazing to not feel emotional pressure after writing it all down and letting it out.