Woman Buys 10 Journals, Writes in None

She didn’t mean to hoard them.
Each one was purchased with a vision: a better morning routine, deeper thoughts, a place to unpack her inner world. But now they sit stacked like a tower of unprocessed ambition beside her bed, blank, untouched, slightly judging.

She tells herself she’s “not ready yet.” That she needs the right pen. The right lighting. The right version of herself who journals daily without spiraling into self-analysis paralysis.

The first one was minimalist. The second had prompts. One was linen-bound and promised emotional breakthroughs in 30 days. One simply said “YOU GOT THIS” in gold foil, it did not age well.

“I think I’m afraid of the first sentence,” she admitted. “Like once I start, I’ll accidentally write the wrong life.”

Babs Relata isn’t surprised. “We’ve replaced action with aesthetic preparation. Half the wellness economy now runs on the thrill of pre-healing.”

Studies have shown journaling can reduce anxiety and boost memory. But studies have also shown that opening a fresh notebook and immediately feeling like a fraud is extremely common in high-functioning, emotionally self-aware women with Amazon Prime.

She plans to start this Sunday. Or next Sunday. Or possibly on the new moon. In the meantime, she’s shopping for a twelfth journal. This one has a moon phase tracker.

Because maybe the paper wasn’t the problem.
Maybe it was the journal cover, it wasn’t calling her name.