Commonplacing, the act of compiling knowledge for future reference, is an art that has been transformed through time. Once kept as a journal, a log of quotations, research, experiences, commonplacing has become more widely known as journaling, or now, tweeting. Social media platforms like Twitter and Tumblr have become the modern commonplace, a page of saved information specific to the individual. While commonplacing is most helpful for writers, compiling ideas and experiences is a helpful practice to maintain in life. You may know some people who actively journal, they might manifest or keep a diary that they can later reflect on. There are many benefits of keeping a commonplace book, whether it is for mental health, research, or for  a project. My own commonplace book tells the story of healing, and of growth.

As my personal commonplace book evolved, the lens through which I viewed the world, and the media I consumed, changed drastically. When I arrived on the UNE campus, I was already several months into the healing process of my traumas and mental health, but as we know, healing is not always linear. And so among the days I felt energized and excited, hopeful, I also had days where I could not get out of bed, days where I would experience heavy PTSD symptoms. I spent a lot of time reading poetry, exploring the social media pages of activists and survivors, listening to music, and reflecting heavily in nature. I wanted to accumulate data that would comfort me in a time of need, that would give me hope when I lacked it, and empower me to continue on my journey of self-love, forgiveness, and healing. 

I wanted to accumulate data that would comfort me in a time of need, that would give me hope when I lacked it, and empower me to continue on my journey of self-love, forgiveness, and healing

One of my personal favorite entries that I made for myself came from the instagram page of Nate Postlethwait, a writer and survivor of cptsd. His social media pages reflect his personal thoughts on healing from trauma in his own commonplace. His post, made on October 21, 2021, states “Please stop hating yourself for what someone else did to you.” This post resonated with me very deeply, and I remember stopping what I was doing completely to just cry. As someone healing from abuse, it’s important to affirm myself that it’s not okay to hate myself from abuse that someone else did. We believe it happened due to something we contributed to, but that’s not the case. Abuse happens because someone is an abuser. To me, this is one of the most reaffirming entries in my commonplace. It is simple and gentle yet so incredibly powerful.

“Please stop hating yourself for what someone else did to you.”

Nate Postlethwait

Another favorite entry of mine comes from an assignment I had for another class, in which I was to spend at least 60 minutes in nature to reflect. 

"After work one night, I sat in the Marcil parking lot with my windows down, sunroof open, and music playing through my car speakers. I laid my seat back and peered up into the night sky. Though the glow of the street lamps made it hard to see the stars, I felt that they were still there. Sending their light from light years away to me, to my eyes. The night air was chilly, but not cold like a deep fall night. I was pleasantly surprised by the gentleness of the breeze that made it an easy decision to leave my car windows down. I played music and thought carefully about the lyrics. I felt a sadness in my heart, sad that I was alone here, sad that I was not entirely happy though I had done everything I thought I could do to  ensure that my freshman year of college would not be a repeat of my senior year. And I cried, not entirely because I was just sad or lonely. But that I had made it this far. And though my light, like the stars, was dimmed when compared to closer, brighter lights, I still existed, and I still felt. I am always most vulnerable, most emotional, at night.” 

This entry came to me like poetry, and with it came a release of emotions. I feel like an important aspect of my commonplace comes from a feminine, emotional energy. I find comfort in poetry and poetic things, it comforts the sadness within me and gives my emotions validation, which is hard to do when you are battling with mental illness. The connection with nature relates strongly to my decision to come to UNE, and therefore has become a strong sense of who I am, and who I want to be. My academic interests follow this line of thought as well, as I find the most pleasure in nature. 

Though my commonplace book may stray from the typical first year college student, it’s empowering to admit that my experiences do not follow the norm. With my personal experiences come specific challenges that many other peers do not have to face. My commonplace book is not one of pure joy, or determination towards a career. I spent most of my senior year struggling to survive, with no time to think about a career or major. This will eventually become a priority, but for now, I am living my life with patience, patience for my own journey. Because I will discover my future in my own time.

I will discover my future in my own time