How Writing Can Help Multiracial Youths Explore Their Identity
There are a lot of sometimes confusing emotions and thoughts that can come along with the challenges of being multiracial. Understanding these thoughts and emotions, and where they are coming from, can be very beneficial and therapeutic to one struggling with their identity in having mixed ethnicities.
One of the healthiest, easiest ways to reflect on yourself and the challenges you face in your own identity is journaling! Journaling can be a positive outlet to help you in organizing and processing thoughts and emotions that come along with these unique challenges that multiracial youth often face. Through journaling, there can be self-discovery, clarity, and a sense of control when writing down one’s thoughts and emotions.
In this blog we will help you create a journaling practice by discussing the following topics:
- Benefits of Journaling
- Building the Habit of Journaling
- How to be Patient with Yourself
- Journaling Prompts for Self-discovery
Benefits of Journaling
By taking time and dedicating moments to reflecting and listening to yourself and noticing your thoughts, you can develop goals to better your understanding of your own identity and increase your levels of self-awareness. Here are some added benefits of journaling.
- Journaling is a safe-space you are giving yourself to allow that time and energy to be solely spent on you. Think of it as a gift to yourself, something nice to do for YOU.
- Mental health most certainly can affect physical health, and therefore, in the long run, you want to give just as much focus to your mental well-being as you do to your physical well-being.
- Journaling is a great opportunity to understand your identity, your self-worth, and the relationship you have with yourself.
- You can use journaling as a way to remodel your mindset, as well as a way to plan and urge goals into action. What do you want to see yourself achieve within the next year? Where do you see yourself living three years from now? Is there a job you want to try to learn how to do? Is there a new skill or interest that can give you another healthy outlet? How do these questions reframe how you view yourself and your life?
- This is also an opportunity to love yourself! Something that should be done often. Journaling can be a vessel of the love you hold for yourself. Nurturing that self-love and relationship you have with yourself is so important to discovering and understanding your identity in the multiracial world.
- Journaling can help you see strengths from all sides of your culture(s), your attributes, your mannerisms, and your make-up of what makes you who you are…writing down these characteristics and affirming them daily through journaling is a way to experience that validation of self-love and self-worth.
- Personal growth is very possible with journaling, because journaling is a form of self-care. You can physically reflect and visualize your progress, milestones, and goals with journaling. This will be helpful in achieving and monitoring progress.
- Self-reflection is a vital building block in journaling and growth. Think about decisions, habits, and events that you choose to take part in. Think about the past and present, and what you want in the future.
Start small to build a journaling habit
If any of this seems a tad overwhelming, you can also start by simply recalling the events in your daily life. What happened today that made you smile? What happened that might’ve bothered you? Did anything occur that will be beneficial tomorrow? Simple questions like these can be used as prompts when journaling if your mind happens to draw a blank.
Creativity doesn’t have to be the goal with journaling; journaling is specifically to help you explore your identity, your abilities and attributes, skills, and discovering more about yourself along the way. And if it still seems overwhelming, set a timer!
Incorporate journaling into your morning or evening routine. Give yourself five minutes before bed to write down what you’re looking forward to, or what you want to know more about. View journaling as a tool to explore and discover what works for you in your goals, life, and identity.
You can write about loved ones, past events and experiences, or even future events you see yourself wanting to accomplish. Reflection is key to reframing your headspace and thought process, your mindset and your perspective. Writing down these reflections and having them to reread and reflect on as many times as needed can be very beneficial to understanding and processing your life events and who you are becoming, and how this coincides with your multiracial self.
Be patient and uncover your authentic self
Trying new things can be scary and even tiring, and it can take time getting used to doing something new in your everyday routine. Incorporating journaling shouldn’t feel forced or like a chore, so try to do it when you feel most calm and open to it. Buy yourself a journal that you like, or decorate one! Self-love and identity goes well with self-expression, so personalizing your journal can give you the sense of comfort and familiarity when journaling and exploring your identity. Take note of which journal you choose and why. If you decorate the journal, try to understand the meaning or value behind what you put on it. Personalization of belongings can also give a sense of strength and focus in knowing something is truly for you. While exploring and understanding identity, the outside of the journal can be a great tool, as well, for self-expression.
It may feel as though you are writing a letter to yourself, but that’s okay! Nurturing that self-love and relationship with yourself is crucial to understanding your identity and who you really are. Strengthening the bond between you and the relationship you have with yourself is also crucial to physical health, as well. Understanding your needs, your physical qualities, and how your mind and body work both individually and separately can greatly aid in solidifying your identity and, more importantly, how you perceive it. Journaling is a way to access and understand this perception. Write down things you notice about yourself throughout the day, such as: when do you normally get hungry? Have you felt tired today? Any moments of not feeling good? Making note of these things can also help you to have more fluent communication in the relationships around you and in your life.
Journaling also gives access to memory! Whether it be happy moments, tough moments that still affect you, or significant changes in your life, writing these down in a journal and processing them can help to strengthen and seal the bond you behold with who you are, and your identity, and how being multiracial affects any of these aspects of your journey of self-discovery. Simply remembering good times is beneficial to oneself. Journaling good memories can also help you map out the foundation of being multiracial and perceiving your identity in positive, healthy ways.
Whether it be positive affirmations, personal values, or even dream jobs, journaling is a healthy form of self-care. Self-care is so vital to nurturing your identity and the relationship you have with that identity. The building blocks of understanding yourself can begin with journaling. Journaling is self-care in the sense that you are providing yourself the needed time to reflect and be alone with your thoughts, to build that personal relationship.
Journaling prompts for self-discovery
-How do I view myself?
-What are some of my favorite characteristics about myself?
-What about myself do I think I can improve?
-What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses?
Mixed Identity Initiative – your partner in self-exploration
Journaling and self-exploration go hand in hand. Journaling can help you understand your identity, and with self-exploration, that identity can be understood and even strengthened. You can receive a deeper understanding of who you are and who you want to be. Feeling strong about your identity, and who you are, can also improve and strengthen self-esteem. This will also allow you to become a role model for others, while also discovering your true self.
Whether it be five minutes once a day, or hours once a week, journaling can greatly improve your relationship with yourself, your identity, and the struggles that can come along with being multiracial. Self-talk, especially when used in a positive way, can be very helpful in growing your understanding of who you are.
Let us help you in your journey of self-exploration. Click here to learn more about our group affinity programs.