Everyone keeps at least one diary in their life. Usually these diaries are written in for three weeks at some point in elementary school, have a “lock and key” and contain something along the lines of:

Dear Diary,

Today I had school. I played with my friends at recess. When I came home, I watched Spongebob and ate Goldfish. I really want a pair of Crocs.

Love,

Anna

Usually after writing everyday in this diary for a few weeks, people put down their pens and turn aways from keeping a diary until they are forced to for school. Some people, however, will start a new diary in middle school. This diary will have more angsty entries which include drama with friends, explanations as to why their parents are the WORST PEOPLE EVER, and pages of hearts and names of boys or girls that they are destined to be with. One such entry from my middle school diary is as follows:

4/29/2010

Dear Diary,

Oh man, I told myself that, when my last tooth fell out, I would ask *Johnny out or tell him I like him. My tooth fell out but I’m not ready!!!!! Who is my current crush? You guessed it! Johnny. Ugh, my mom yells at me for everything! *Sally is so annoying! She told Johnny’s best friend that I like him. How could she! Anyway, I’m going to draw what I wore today and yesterday below because I looked cute.

TTYL!

Anna

At this point only a chosen few continue maintaining a diary through high school and on to later life. No, most of the time these later journal entries are not as dramatic or comedic, but they can have a higher value than the early diaries. Why do most people abandon diaries? My guess would be a combination of time, loss of interest, the belief that diaries are childish, and a belief that one has nothing to say that would be valuable enough to put in a diary. The great thing about diaries or journals is that they can take any form, be any length and be written in anytime and any frequency.

I for one have kept five or more types of diaries. These have included your classic “Dear Diary” entry which chronical everyday as well as big events; bullet diaries where everyday you write a few lines about the special thing you did or a general outline of your day; question and answer diaries where, everyday, you answer a provided question (this is a good one); memory jars in which you write any good things that happen and put them in a jar and then open them on New Year's Eve; and prompt diaries in which everyday or few days you answer the same set of prompts “Goals, Accomplishments, Memories, New thing you tried, etc.” Far and above, my favorite type of journal is the old fashion long entry journal in which you chronical everything that has happened since the last time you wrote. Typically, I write once every one or two months, unless something momentous happened, and write three to five pages per entry. For the past several years, I have written my diary as a gift to my future children. It will hopefully act as a window into what I was like as a teenager to show them that I am not so different from what they will be. In this diary I have pages of advice that I have received or have learned and lists of my greatest regrets. This has given me a purpose for writing in my diary. A purpose is something that I find necessary when writing a diary. Otherwise, it can seem daunting or pointless. Even without a true purpose, I believe that keeping a diary is necessary.

A diary is an outlet for the drama of everyday life. It provides a listener that will not judge even your darkest of thoughts. A diary allows you, in years to come, to look back and see exactly how far you’ve come. It will allow memories to last longer than they ever could just based on pure memory. They celebrate the most wonderful times, mourn the worst of times, and protect the deepest of secrets. For these reasons, diaries are therapeutic. They prevent fear, anger, and sadness from being bottled up. They also allow you to relive the great times you have had during your worst of days.

All that I am saying is you don’t have to write a novel to feel better, so why not give journaling a try?