From Chronic Anxiety to Creative Calm: Discovering the Healing Power of Junk Journaling
For over two decades, a constant companion has been chronic anxiety, a shadow that first fell upon my life at the tender age of 14. Through the ebb and flow of navigating my mental health, my diaries have become faithful chroniclers of my inner world. They’ve held everything from whimsical notions of inventions yet to be conceived – think Jack Black’s comedic genius or the elusive allure of the colour silver – to the paralyzing intrusive thoughts that, at their worst, kept me from even boarding a bus for months on end. As someone prone to deep sentimentality, I also have a tendency to hold onto everything. This means that over 26 years, across seven different homes, I’ve amassed considerable piles of scrap paper, faded photographs, discarded sweet wrappers, and forgotten receipts. These mementos, typically stashed away in boxes beneath my bed, represented a tangible, if somewhat chaotic, history. It was time, I decided, to channel this inherent sentimentality into something more meditative, something that could bring order to the delightful disarray of my memories. Enter: junk journaling.
The concept is wonderfully eclectic: filling and decorating a handmade book or diary with repurposed “junk.” Marketed as a modern, Gen Z-esque take on traditional scrapbooking, this niche hobby has seen a remarkable surge in popularity, particularly on platforms like TikTok, where it boasts over 885,000 tagged posts. What makes it so appealing? It’s remarkably free, incredibly easy to get started, and requires absolutely no prior artistic skill. For me, it has swiftly evolved into my most cherished daily ritual.
Finding a Hobby That Sticks
I’ve always yearned to be the kind of person who possesses distinct hobbies – the sort who has structured Saturday commitments like ice-skating lessons or participates in an orchestra. Beyond my ever-growing Goodreads account, however, my attempts at cultivating such pursuits have often fallen by the wayside. Junk journaling, though, is a revelation for those who, like me, struggle with sustained commitment. It offers a low-effort, high-reward pathway to creative engagement.
Getting Started with Junk Journaling
My journey began in January with the purchase of a new diary for the year. I opted for a robust, black WH Smith model, complete with a secure button clasp to safeguard my collected treasures. My only other essential purchase was a humble Pritt Stick. And just like that, I was ready to begin! The core idea is to fill the pages with absolutely anything that resonates with you. My own journal has become a repository for:
- A vibrant party hat from my best friend’s 27th birthday bash.
- A heartfelt card from my Grandma, celebrating my move into my first London flat.
- A wristband from a memorable gig attended with my girlfriend.
The beauty of this practice lies in the future. I envision revisiting this book in two decades, each page a portal back to cherished evenings with friends or intimate dinners with my parents, conjuring vivid recollections of moments both grand and seemingly small.
Embracing the Imperfect: Lessons Learned
I’ll admit, I’ve sometimes taken the “junk” aspect of junk journaling a tad too literally. One weekend, after removing my nail polish, a peculiar thought struck me: why not glue the blue-soaked cotton pads into my diary? While it certainly possessed a certain aesthetic appeal at the time, my judgment wasn’t at its clearest. The following day, when I attempted to add a cinema ticket stub, I discovered that the residue from the nail polish remover had seeped through a staggering five pages.
However, in retrospect, these little mishaps are intrinsically part of the charm. The more “mess” and unexpected elements that accumulate, the more character and personality my journal develops. I’ve honed my raspberry Oreo brownie recipe and experimented with every Garnier brightening face mask imaginable, yet none of these activities truly address the deeper needs of my soul. While I’ll never discount the essential role of my sertraline prescription in managing my anxiety, when it comes to nurturing my inner well-being and finding genuine calm, nothing has come close to the profound sense of peace I experience through junk journaling. Holding a Pritt Stick in my hand, I find myself slipping into a complete flow state.
The Profound Mental Health Benefits of Junk Journaling
Transforming a plain black diary into a vibrant treasure trove of my life’s experiences has been a profoundly healing process, exceeding my wildest expectations. It has gently compelled me to slow down, to carve out dedicated time for using my hands for something other than typing on a screen, and to find genuine appreciation in the often-overlooked, mundane aspects of my daily existence. Who would have thought that gluing old prescription bags into a journal could bring such immense joy?
This practice isn’t just a personal revelation; its benefits are far-reaching. Dr. Ahmar Ferguson, an educational psychologist, elaborates on its therapeutic value: “Although junk journaling appears playful on the surface, it taps into something much deeper. It synthesizes three core processes known from research to be beneficial for emotional well-being: expressive writing, creative self-expression, and mindful activity. When these elements converge within a low-pressure hobby, they can foster a potent form of everyday self-soothing.”
Dr. Ferguson further highlights a crucial element: “There’s a significant aspect to the non-judgmental nature of junk journaling. Anxiety often flourishes in environments that foster perfectionism, where individuals feel compelled to ‘do things properly’ or produce something polished. Junk journaling deliberately dismantles that expectation. It is intentionally messy and imperfect. This freedom can be incredibly regulating, allowing individuals to engage in an activity without the burden of evaluation or performance pressure.”
In today’s society, both socially and commercially, the concept of “self-care” has, at times, become somewhat corrupted. It can feel like another chore to add to an overflowing to-do list or a curated opportunity to showcase one’s coping mechanisms. For me, junk journaling has emerged as a powerful antidote, enabling me to step back from these external pressures and reconnect with the fundamental act of presence. As Dr. Ahmar aptly states, “A quiet half-hour with a journal, some scraps of paper, and a glue stick might not appear as mental health support from an external perspective, but psychologically, it can create invaluable space for reflection, emotional release, and regulation.”
