The Journal Won’t Judge: Adjusting to College Life

Although writing might be a less preferable activity for some, it can be surprisingly beneficial for students, especially with the unfamiliar beginnings of the semester. Complaining about a roommate, classes or confessing a campus crush, the journal won’t judge.      

Whether this is the first or fourth year, entering a new semester brings numerous challenges, but grabbing a journal can alleviate a multitude of obstacles. 

The act of journaling is often talked about in different corners of life and can be incredibly effective when starting a new school year. Many first-year students are finding themselves adjusting to a new city, routine and way of life, introducing new stressors. For returning students, the readjustment process might get easier from year to year, but still causes relapsing tension. 

Journaling is proven to help reduce intrusive thoughts about negative events and improve working memory, which is directly linked to emotional regulation. 

Psychologists Kitty Klein and Adriel Boals performed a study on the effects of expressive writing and college stress. Klein acknowledges that when faced with a traumatic or stressful event, students aren’t in the right headspace to go about life as normal, requiring an outlet for the pressure. 

Klein and Boals found undergraduate students who used more expressive writing during stressful times saw higher GPAs after the study and in the following semester. These desirable results were due to improvements made in working memory, responsible for thinking, reasoning and learning. It’s thought of as a mental workspace. 

While settling into the new year, journaling can be an effective outlet for intrusive thoughts induced by stress or anxiety toward the semester. Letting go of any negative thoughts leaves room for cognition, which can be used toward success with schoolwork, socializing and overall mental health. 

Simply writing down one’s thoughts and feelings can be a great way of releasing any mental pressure and making room for everything positive. 

This decluttering if mental stressors is incredibly important, especially for first-year students. The stress of a new environment builds up emotionally, making it harder to allow oneself to see all of the exciting experiences around them. 

The new experiences that come with the first year at Loyola are nerve-wracking, exciting and every emotion in between. These first-time moments can be stressful, but students shouldn’t be afraid to embrace them. Whether it’s trying to decide between breakfast at Simpson or Damen or trying to meet some hallway neighbors, they should take in every moment. 

For those returning to campus, there are still many challenges each year. New jobs, new opportunities and perhaps more bills, create space for anything causing pressure. Each year brings higher responsibilities but alternatively, even more opportunities and memories. 

In a lighter sense, college is exciting. Taking a break each day and implementing time to write down everything going on is a perfect way to collect these experiences and feelings.Writing down thoughts is a great way to reminisce, clear the mind and even access  a free form of therapy. It’s important for writers to take what they want from it.

So, could journaling be the answer? Absolutely. It might feel odd at first, but take it all in and embrace the writing experience. Write down the good, the bad, the boring and the exciting. School is difficult, and homework is particularly annoying, but college doesn’t have to be a dreaded experience. 

Pick up a pen and write down whatever comes to mind to relieve any anxiety or stress this new academic year may bring.