4 Tips On How to Journal Everyday: Blog 04
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Hey friends! Welcome back to Leaning In. Let’s talk about the beautiful catharsis and art of journaling.
You may ask yourself questions like, why journaling? What if I’m not much of a writer? What on earth would I talk about? Why should I care enough to try? I’ve got you.
Journaling with my cat, Norisson
Journaling is not just for people who think of themselves as writers, it’s truly for everyone. Do you talk? Do you have an inner dialogue? Do you have thoughts you wish you could put somewhere so they’d stop bouncing around in your head? Do you want to vent somewhere nobody will judge you just to get it off your chest? Here is your answer: journaling. It is your internal conversations externalized, it is a way of offloading, of letting go of and working through things.
It is completely up to you how you use your little notebook companion, make it your own. You can benefit from journaling in countless ways, with an endless amount of ways to fill up the pages!
Improved mental health ManifestationGoal-setting Self-improvement
Easing anxiety Digging into trauma
Figuring out what your dreams are Affirmations
Daily and Weekly tasks More of/less of
Energy takers/Energy givers Short stories
Poetry Gratitude
Doodles Track progress and accomplishments
Keep a personal history/memoir Venting
Pressing flowers, movie tickets, receipts Attaining clarity from life challenges
Taking notes Quotes/phrases/inspiration
1. The first tip is to get a journal, one you really love. One you like to look at, that feels good to hold. It should kind of pick you like a Harry Potter broom or something. I personally prefer a smaller A4 size notebook with ruled paper, interior pockets, and the little ribbon bookmark and bungee cord to close it up neatly. They’re super portable and come in any color you love! Mine is currently the blush pink Paperage Lined notebook.
Here are two of my favorites I’ve purchased in the past that I recommend highly:
2. The second tip is to establish what time of day works best for your journaling practice. Are you a morning or night person? When does your head feel most full of thoughts? Personally, the morning is when I most often journal. I brew a coffee and curl up in my unmade bed and start writing in that bad boy in between sweet sips of caffeine. I can then offload any lingering thoughts from the day before, and maybe set out my intentions for the new day. It’s also important to establish your favorite comfortable and peaceful place to journal as well.
These are my last three journals!
It is also super satisfying to finish one.
3. The third tip is to figure out what style of journaling works best for you. Some people like to freestyle and “brain dump” for 2-3 pages. Others follow numbered prompts they repeat each session. I’ve also seen people split their pages into two or three sections with titles like “weekly tasks”, “mantras/affirmations”, “energy takers/givers”, and then go back in to fill them out one by one like an outline. Personally, I write a combination of repeated prompts each session and brain dumping. I will show some examples below!
Layout Idea 1
Layout Idea 2
4. The fourth and final tip is to keep your journal somewhere visible, somewhere you will see it every morning or every night, where you’re much more inclined to encounter it and reach for it. I keep mine either on top of my laptop, on top of my bed, or my desk. These are all places I am guaranteed to interact with throughout the day, and having to pick up the journal to move it sometimes also helps, because once it’s already in my hand I think… maybe I'll write a quick page? Next thing I know I've written five. Poof! You’re journaling. You’re a journaler.
If you’re already an avid journaler, I hope maybe you’ve gained some more ideas for prompts or topics to explore. If you’re a beginner and have been wanting to start a new daily habit that makes you feel more aligned, lighter, in tune with your feelings and life, I hope you found this helpful or encouraging!
If any of you have any questions, suggestions, or want to share your experiences keeping a journal, comment them down below.
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