“Okay, first of all, let me get something straight: This is a JOURNAL, not a diary,” writes Greg Heffley, the main character in Jeff Kinney’s award-winning “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series.
Like Greg, many people have a negative view of diaries because they see them as childish. Greg was forced to keep one upon his mother’s request and kept it hidden in his room to avoid harassment from middle school bullies.
Despite these negative connotations regarding diaries, I believe everyone should have a diary or a comparable outlet.
Growing up, I always had a diary, journal or whatever you want to call it. I owned many at a time, all with different purposes, like poetry, doodles or just paragraphs about my day-to-day happenings.
I carried them around like they were a piece of me. This may have been a little above and beyond, but it hinted at my future in journalism.
While I may be biased with my love for writing, I can say firsthand how using a diary has benefitted my mental health and strengthened my relationships with those I am close to.
When a situation arises that I can’t get off my mind, all I want to do is talk about it until I have dissected every detail of the interaction. Rather than blabbing my friends or family’s ears’ off, grabbing a pen and some paper can do wonders.
Often when I am conflicted or confused about something, laying the case out in front of me broadens my perspective and helps me resolve issues independently.
A study by Joshua M. Smyth from Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Biobehavioral Health concluded that positive affect journaling, a writing method that involves writing about the positive aspects of your life, is an effective intervention for mitigating mental distress and improving one’s well-being.
Don’t get me wrong though, professional help should come first when it comes to serious topics like mental health issues, but a diary can be helpful when dealing with mundane topics.
Diaries serve not only as an outlet but also as a tool to protect individuals from creating digital footprints that will come back to haunt them.
“Much better to confide your unworthy or unrepeatable thoughts to that book on your desk than pin them up for everyone to read online,” the Guardian columnist Anthony Quinn wrote, “There is no fear of being trolled or cancelled when you only write for yourself and you won’t have to live out your regret in public.”
Keeping a diary allows individuals to reflect without fear of judgment. It creates a space where people can be completely honest, even with thoughts that may be embarrassing if shared publicly.
In a world where social media pressures us to curate our lives and showcase only the “highlight reel,” diaries offer a safer alternative to hitting the post button. Instead of sharing an emotional rant, a poorly thought-out opinion or personal information that could live on the internet forever, do yourself a favor: grab a pen and paper before turning to a public forum with potential long-term consequences.
This privacy and form of self-expression is invaluable in an increasingly public world.
So, whether you call it a diary, a journal or something else entirely, I believe everyone needs a safe space for self-reflection on paper—even if, like Greg Heffley, you resist the idea.
Cecilia Wallace can be contacted at wall1238@stthomas.edu.