When I think of the word journaling, I imagine beautifully laid-out pages full of cute artwork, beautiful calligraphy, and pictures and photos that have been stuck inside, creating stunning pages that are more likes works of art than notebooks. Of course, I always wanted all the benefits of journaling, so I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone out, bought a new journal, and then given up when mine started to look more like lists and random notes rather than the stunningly striking pages that I see from everyone else's insta worthy books.
You see, I made a mistake from the start. I was looking at all of these gorgeous journals online and then comparing my own to them. When my journal started looking nothing like theirs or living up to the ideals that I had of ‘journaling,’ I took it as if I had failed and gave up – cue cycle of new notebooks that start with great intention but never make it more than 10 pages through. RIP notebooks.
The fundamental mistake was that firstly, this is not journaling; this is scrapbooking. Comparing journaling to scrapbooking is like comparing Picasso with an emoji – it’s just never going to be the same.
So let's chat about the power of journaling!
So What is Journaling Really?
Simply put, journaling is the practice of writing down your thoughts, feelings, and experiences regularly. It's a way to reflect on your life, process emotions, and gain insights into yourself. Think of it as a personal diary where you can set intentions and freely express yourself without any judgment.
Journaling doesn’t have to be pretty. In fact, it’s not supposed to be. It’s supposed to represent the chaos of life and serve as a tool to help you navigate your way through that. The beauty of it is, if there’s a messy page you don’t like full of lists and rushed words, flip it and start a new one where you recognise that you were obviously too busy that day and then create a plan to slow yourself down. Your journal starts off messy because that’s what our life is like at that point. It’s not until we recognise that and start putting changes in place that we become more organised, where you can begin breaking your day down and setting more manageable tasks for the day.
Why Journal?
Journaling is a super underrated tool that helps you process the chaos of daily life, make plans, break overwhelming days down into manageable chunks, process your emotions, and review areas where you need to make changes. It’s like having a snapshot into your life so that you can step back, evaluate, and adjust as you need to so that you can create a more stress-free and enjoyable life for yourself with time to do more of the things that you love rather than just aiming towards completing a completely unrealistic list that you have set and then punishing yourself for not getting it all done. Journaling is your friend, not your boss. It has no judgement of how much or how little you manage to do.
The Benefits of Journaling:
Let's look at all the good things that journaling can do for you:
Relieves Stress: Writing down the things that are playing on your mind can make you see them from an outside perspective, process them, and organise an action plan to tackle them. This provides a sense of relief and accomplishment that you are now actively taking on the issue.
Self-Discovery: Journaling is a powerful tool for self-discovery. It allows you to explore your thoughts and emotions in a safe, personal space. As you write, you can reflect on your daily experiences and how you respond to different situations. This process of reflection helps you become more aware of your habits, behaviors, and emotional patterns. Over time, this increased self-awareness enables you to identify areas in your life where you can make adjustments. By recognizing how you currently handle situations, you can develop healthier responses and find the perfect balance that works for you. Journaling becomes a journey of understanding yourself better and making intentional changes to improve your overall well-being.
Goal Setting: Using your journal to track personal goals can help you stay focused and motivated. It’s easy to sidetrack when you get started on a task, but laying down definite goals for the day helps you stay on track and in control of your day. If you notice something else that needs to be done as you go, simply move it onto tomorrow's list and remember that we are trying to break the cycle of running around like a headless chicken. Be strict about what you do and the time that you have carved out to do it.
Emotional Healing: Expressing your thoughts and feelings on paper can be therapeutic and help with any emotional turmoil that you may be experiencing. If you are running around all day busy focusing on others, it’s easy to feel neglected, exhausted, guilt, and so many more negative emotions. Writing down how you are feeling can stop the emotions from growing arms and legs inside your mind. Putting them on paper is the start of making a plan to turn those negative emotions into positive ones with plans in place to create new ones.
My Personal Journey:
I started journaling in the morning due to anxiety. I began by writing three things that I wanted to remind myself of that day so that when I felt my anxiety creep in, I could look at that page and remember that those feelings were not real. I’d write things like ‘Your job is just a job, don’t get emotionally involved in your work’ or ‘I don’t allow anyone to disrupt my inner calm.’ Just writing those things was a great tool to take control over my emotions and set my own tone for the day ahead.
After I set my reminders, I then set myself three tasks that would make me happy if I accomplished them that day. This could be things like taking the dog for a walk, emptying the dishwasher, and putting on a load of washing. Stick to those three things and only do those three things because the remainder of the time is yours. You need that time to balance, unwind, and do something that you enjoy so that you can decompress and nurture yourself. Otherwise, you are going to be trapped in a cycle of stress.
Begin Your Journaling Journey
Getting started with journaling can be both exciting and a little bit daunting, especially if you are unsure where to begin. However, it is important to remember that there is no right or wrong way to journal. What works for me, may not work for you and it’s going to take a few pages to get into a flow and rhythm that works for you. So my best advice is to be patient with yourself, keep going, and instead of being tempted to abandon that notebook and begin again, use it as a visual representation of your journey where you can look back and see how far you have come in organising and taking control of your day.
Remember that journaling is a deeply personal practice and is tailored by you to fit your own needs and preferences. So where to begin:
Choose Your Medium: This is the fun part of getting an actual new journal. Whether it’s a lovely new notebook or a journaling app, this is your time to decide what works best for you because this time, we are going to commit. If I’m buying a new notebook, I also love to get myself a new pen and a pack of lovely highlighters so that I can clearly block sections once I am finished writing. This means that I can easily see where most of my stress or demand on life lies, whether it be at work, housework, or in my own thoughts and feelings.
Set Aside Time: Dedicate a specific time each day for journaling. My personal preference is in the morning as I like to set the tone for my day, but you might find it equally useful to journal at night to serve as a reflection on the day. You might even decide to use both! The important thing to remember is not to skip out on this time, so choose a time that you can stick to every day.
Start Simple: Begin by writing anything that comes to mind. I usually skip the first page because I often feel too much pressure to make it perfect for some strange reason! Remember that there are no rules; this is you designing your life and you are in control, so just do what feels right to you.
Use Prompts: If you are unsure of where to start, then search up some journaling prompts that are geared towards the purpose of your journal, such as ‘What would I change about today?’ or ‘Three things I did for my own self-care today.’ Anything that can be used as a starting point to spark creativity to begin.
Be Honest and Authentic: Write honestly about your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This is your own safe space for you to process things in your life, so don’t worry about things like grammar or perfection; just let what you need to get out onto the page!
Review and Reflect: Remember to read back through your journal often. There’s no point in just having a book of negative emotions if you’re not going to actively make changes to make those things better. Once you have an emotion, thought, or list down on a page, then the next step should always be ‘How will I tackle this?’ Reflect often because sometimes it’s easy to overlook just how far you have come.
Remember, your journal is a personal space, free from judgment and expectations. It’s not about crafting the perfect entry or creating something worthy of admiration—it’s about expressing yourself, exploring your thoughts, and finding clarity. Embrace the imperfections and let your journal be a reflection of your authentic self. By doing so, you’ll discover that journaling isn’t just a practice but a journey of self-discovery and growth. So, grab a pen, find a quiet corner, get cosy and start writing. Your story is waiting to be told, and there’s no better time to begin than now.
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