Writing in the Stars

A lot of times when we have full schedules, we think of taking time to reflect on ourselves as another task to do, yet hardly ever as a tool to destress. Many people who start journaling quit because they start it as a chore.

I am one of those people. When I was in high school I was dedicated to building a journal that tracked my mental place, mementos, and goals. That half-empty-journal now sits in a drawer on my desk. 

I recently tried to rebuild a space to reflect on my life and events, but in a much milder manor. A space for reflection can take many forms, from meditation, journaling, or even just a physical place. I found one of the easiest and most entertaining ways for me to reflect has been through astrology apps. 

I understand the skepticism behind seeing astrology as something more than a light-hearted conversation to have with people you just met. But I don’t mean the kind of astrology that is on the back of a newspaper and only has 2 sentences.

Most astrology apps today take in your entire birth chart and compare it to current astrological trends to give you an in-depth reading. Of course, it will still give you bogus daily readings, and I am no way endorsing the idea that you should change your life to follow what your daily horoscope is telling you. However, it could give you some insight on yourself, as well as what your month could be like. 

I personally like to go back to my previous months’ readings and reflect on what was right and what was different by using the reading as a prompt to stimulate my emotional analysis of the passing month. In the same way that a journal might inspire others to explore what their life holds, astrology apps may do the same without the intimidation that comes with a book full of blank pages.

I find that this method of unconventional journaling guides me into a deeper analysis of the emotions that I have felt, how I identify, and how I check in on myself. By taking just 5 minutes to log into my favorite app, "Sanctuary," I am able to reconnect and destress with myself in a way that is similar to journaling- just without the intimidation of putting pen to paper.