Exploring the Art of Journaling:
In this blog:
Journaling. This is a word we see often online. Maybe it’s your first time journaling or maybe it is something you’ve tried several times before. Maybe it is something you’ve tried, but seen the empty page stare back up at you and recoiled in panic with no idea where to begin…
Starting to journal is hard & creating a regular journaling habit can be even harder, but you’ll find everything you need to begin journaling here in this blog, including 10 free prompts to get you started.
Journaling is a path to self-discovery. In today’s fast-paced world, where stress and distractions consume us, finding moments of peace and clarity can feel like a luxury. Journaling offers a sanctuary amidst the chaos, providing a safe space for you to reflect, express, and connect with yourself on a deeper level, manifest your desires or let off some steam. Let’s delve into the transformative power of journaling and discover how it can be a valuable tool.
What is Journaling?
At its core, journaling is the act of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) to record thoughts, feelings, experiences, and observations. Writing down your feelings helps you understand them better. It can also keep us on track with our goals & develop our self-improvement.
It’s a personal practice with no rules or boundaries, allowing you to explore your innermost thoughts and emotions without fear of judgment. Whether it’s through traditional diary entries, bullet journaling, or creative writing exercises, the beauty of journaling lies in its versatility and adaptability to suit your personal needs and preferences. Write as scruffy as you want, as colourful as your heart desires, you can be mean on the page and let out everything you truly want to get off your chest.
Benefits of journaling:
- For self reflection: journaling serves as a mirror, reflecting back our thoughts and feelings with clarity. By regularly jotting down our experiences and emotions, we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves, our values, and our aspirations. This heightened self-awareness empowers you to make informed decisions, set meaningful goals, and navigate life’s challenges with confidence and resilience.
- Stress Reduction & Mental Health: In today’s hyper-connected world, we often juggle multiple roles and responsibilities, leading to increased stress and burnout. Journaling offers a therapeutic outlet for releasing pent-up emotions, worries, and anxieties. By putting our thoughts on paper, we lighten the burden on our minds and create space for clarity and calmness to emerge. Numerous studies have shown that journaling can reduce stress levels, alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, and promote overall mental well-being.
- Goal Setting and Accountability: Journaling provides a tangible platform for setting and tracking goals, whether they’re related to personal growth, career advancement, or health and wellness. By documenting our aspirations, breaking them down into actionable steps, and reflecting on our progress, we cultivate a sense of accountability and motivation to pursue our dreams relentlessly. Whether it’s crossing off tasks in a bullet journal or writing affirmations in a gratitude log, the act of journaling keeps us focused and driven towards our goals.
- Gratitude Journaling: Is a powerful practice that can have a profound impact on your well-being, mood & increase manifestations. You can create a more positive outlook by regularly reflecting on the good things and what you are grateful for, helping you to focus on what truly matters. This compounds over time and leads to greater happiness and perspective. This also helps increase your manifestations coming true. Raising your vibration & higher energy means matching the vibration of your desires. Want to know more? Learn about manifestations in this vision board blog.
- Write About Your Day For Memories: Some journaling is as simple as keeping a diary for how your day went & what you got up to. This is a fun way to create memories to look back on & track progress. If this feels too intimidating or difficult to keep up with, I’d recommend a ‘One Line a Day: A Five-Year Memory Journal’. They’re super simple to use! And easy to build into your nightime routine.
- Process trauma or past events: Journaling on things that have happened to us can be a great way to process our past and help us in healing and acceptance. Writing through traumatic experiences can bring closure and understanding. It can help us face the events or memories that we may be reliving or repeatedly thinking about, bringing a new sense of understanding & closure.
- Manifest your desires: A great way to manifest your desires in the physical realm can be ‘scripting’. Scripting is when we write as though we already have the thing we desire. For example: “I’m so grateful to be working for myself full time, earning £50,000 a month in my business. I had a great day today, I began waking up early starting my day with a meditation…” This technique helps align the conscious and subconscious together in what we are bringing in and who we want to become. It raises our vibration, therefore making us in alignment with what we’re manifesting & goals (high vibes = faster manifestations). When we feel the energy of what we want, it comes into our reality faster. This is called the Law Of Attraction.
- Affirmations: You can journal your affirmations to help work towards the goals in your life – for example “I’m a healthy person who makes healthy choices” or to bring in your manifestation desires – for example “My business is successful and continues to grow every day”. In writing out these affirmations regularly it brings us in alignment with them energetically, raising our vibrations to attract in our desires. Want to learn more about affirmations? Read here.
- Creative expression: Journaling freely, letting whatever comes to mind with no judgement can help the creative process. Whether that’s working through a creative block or brainstorming ideas or just simply clearing the mind. ‘Morning Pages’, the concept made famous by Julia Camerons “The Artist’s Way” is a real game changer if you’re trying to increase your creativity. The process is to simply wake up & write 3 pages, whatever comes to your mind in those 3 pages is unimportant, it’s the act of waking up and working through your own brain. It’s incredible what comes up! If you’re interested in The Artist’s Way (which you definitely should be, it’s life changing) you can find it here: https://amzn.to/3ygd665
How To Journal:
1. Find a journal that actually speaks to you
Although you can write on just about anything you want, putting some intention behind your choice will increase the chances of it sticking! Treat it as a fun little exercise to go out & pick a notebook that calls to you.
- Find A4 too intimidating? Pick an A5 pocket notebook to make it more approachable. This brand creates great notebooks! https://amzn.to/4bDYDza
- Need more room for doodling & creativity? This hardcover bullet journal comes in beautiful colours & is perfect for the artsy journaler. https://amzn.to/4bGzofP
- If you need all the space to be able to journal freely this A4 notebook comes in multiple colours & with metal corners, meaning your journal is protected when in your bag. https://amzn.to/3QIZsPj
- For that extra creative journaling experience, these fine point coloured pens are perfect to decorate your headings or colour code your journal entries. https://amzn.to/4bGSIJX
2. Release judgement – there is no good or bad
There is no right or wrong way to journal, no good or bad journaling and remember… No one will ever see it! Be as scruffy as you want, moan away to your hearts content, fill the pages with your deepest desires or most hurtful memories – it truly doesn’t matter! There is no rule book! Remember, it’s just about starting, not writing a masterpiece. It may just be half a page the first time.
3. Write what comes to mind
Keeping yourself open, put pen to paper & begin to write. Just write, that’s it. If you’re struggling to know where to begin, start with the sentence “I don’t know what to write but…” and see where the pen takes you. It’s often once we are in the flow state of writing that things start to arise, whether it’s ideas or feelings, it’s only once we begin writing that it happens, so…begin writing! And release judgement of whatever comes up.
4. Journal prompts
Struggling with knowing what to write? Don’t worry. It can be frustrating to know where to begin; sometimes we have SO much to say, it’s hard to say anything at all! You can use journal prompts to help you journal. They are a great springboard to journaling and can help us find direction in our writing. Scroll to the bottom of this blog to find 10 free journaling prompts to get you started!
5. Build it into your routine
If you’re wanting this to become a regular practise, then set a time & make a promise to yourself. Decide whether it will be part of your morning routine, evening routine, a reprieve from the work day on your lunch break; whenever works best for you! The key is to make the time sacred & commit.
10 Journal Prompts To Get You Started:
- What are 3 things you are grateful for and why?
- How am I feeling today?
- How do you want to spend your time? Describe your ideal day from start to finish.
- What are 3 things that bring me joy?
- What/Who do I need to forgive?
- What is one thing I have learned this week?
- How can I bring more ease into my life?
- What challenge am I facing in my life right now?
- What are my goals for this year?
- What inspires me?
