In the first episode of Single Wives SA, the ladies put pen to paper as they wrote a letter to their exes in brand new journals. Recording your thoughts is a great way to reflect, remember important moments, and get in touch with your emotions by, as Nikki puts it, vomitting your words over the pages - an emotional, metaphorical purging, if you like. Your thoughts can, of course, go down in any kind of notebook, journal, or diary you like, but it's also fun to choose a diary that's perfect for your personality. We've outlined a few of the standards below - which one do you think would suit you best? 

The Blank Canvas
You’re not really concerned with covers, as long as the pages are blank. Even though you’d happily draw over lined paper if that’s all you had at hand, if you could choose, it would be a journal full of blank pages. This gives you the freedom to record your thoughts – left to right, upside down, vertically, or however you choose – but also to doodle and draw.

Cover Girl
Whether lined or blank, you don’t mind as long as the cover speaks to your sparkling personality. So whether it’s glitter or gold, streaks or swirls, as long as your cover is as busy as you are, you’re happy. And if there are pretty accessories to go with it – like a glittery pen or brightly-coloured pencil – then all the better.

The Flip Side
Not a fan of journals, diaries, and notebooks that flip shut the moment you lift your hand? Then the flip page notebook is for you. A ring spine also gives you the added bonus of easily ripping out pages you’re not happy with…but try to stick to crossing out or using tippix. The environment will thank you.

Calendar Girl
When going back to your thoughts and reading old journal entries, you like to know when you recorded what. Of course, you could use any other notebook and just date the entries yourself. But using a calendar diary does the work for you, giving you more time to pour your heart onto the page. Plus, there’s the added bonus that you could actually use it for reminders for events and occasions and never miss another birthday or anniversary.

Digital Diva
Paper is so last century – which is why you prefer to record your thoughts on your laptop or phone. Plus, there’s the added bonus of dozens of notebook apps to choose from. You can even skip the writing/typing thing altogether and just dictate your thoughts.

Block Party
Graph paper speaks to your meticulous nature and comes in handy when you need to do a quick sum. It can be slow going if you’re writing one letter per block, but the extra time gives you a chance to really contemplate your thoughts. Plus, if the rest of your life is helter-skelter, writing in this neat and precise way gives you a sense of order in an otherwise chaotic world.

The Classic
When it comes to putting pen to paper, nothing beats good, ol’ reliable lined-paper. And if your creative side kicks in, nothing’s stopping you from doodling in the margins, writing with different colours, or sketching out a picture or two.

Which notebook would you choose?

Watch Single Wives South Africa season 1 every Thursday at 19:00 on M-Net channel 101.