Looking for a comforting hobby this November? Something affordable and low commitment that can have a positive effect on your life? You may want to give journaling a try. Here is some practical advice on how to start journaling and different approaches to journaling to help inspire you!
What type of book you write in can influence your journaling. There is something special about going through the stationary section, overflowing with notebooks and all their beautiful covers, filled with blank pages of potential. But too often when I take one of these more expensive books home, writing the first word becomes a daunting task. That is because there is a catch with the potential; what you write may not match your expectations of what you could have written, or what deserves to be written in such a nice book. And with a pen you only have one chance to start. Even if you break through the first barrier of making a mark on the paper, your motivation to continue may disappear after feeling let down that somehow your writing isn’t ‘better’. A helpful tip I have for beginner journalers is that if it is the first page is intimidating, then skip it and start writing on the second page. But a better solution is to stay away from expensive books and pens entirely when you first start off, no matter how tempting it might be. There is no hesitation to write in an ugly cheap journal. It will be your words that make the object valuable, not the price, or the artistic design on the cover.
There is no ‘right’ or ‘good’ way to journal. With any new endeavour, the first few attempts will be awkward until you find your footing to develope your own journaling style that you enjoy. Once you find that, no matter how many notebooks it takes, you can then graduate yourself to the fancier journals because now you know how you will fill the pages. It’s not the book that has potential, but you. Examine the books in a way where you ask if they will suit your purpose. This will help you to have control of your vision. I will also admit that it’s a guilty pleasure to see your finished journals start to line up on a shelf.
Journaling can take many forms in terms of routine and subject. Finding what works for you is combining what you want, with what actually works for you. For example, wanting to write every day sets up expectations where it becomes possible to fail. Instead, approach your journal in a way where there is no expectation for success or failure. If you want to write often, try keeping your journal in an easily accessible area with a pen or pencil nearby. I also find it useful to keep the book open. Sometimes, the challenge to start can be as simple as just opening the book. Removing this obstacle for yourself is a way to work around this mental block.
The best advice I have been given about adding something to my routine is just do at least one of whatever you want to start doing. For example, people who want to exercise every day, do one push-up. For those who want to learn an instrument, play one note. And for writing, at least write one word a day. This advice is not about ‘building up over time’, it’s about breaking through being stagnant in your routine and teaching yourself how to begin something new. Some days you will write one word, and that is all you will want to do: other days you will write one word and realize you do feel like writing after all.
Before writing, take the time to reflect and get to know yourself. Asking yourself these questions pre-writing may help you create a space you feel comfortable and confident writing in.
- Where do you think you’d like to write?
- Do you like seeking out coffee shops or outdoor locations?
- Do you like writing when you are on the go?
- Is this something you want to do with a friend?
- Do you prefer more security to be able to write and need to be in your bedroom with the door locked?
- How much privacy do you have and want?
- What is your motivation for wanting to journal?
- Do you want to capture memories? Explore an artistic medium?
- Or do you want to create a practice that will help maintain mental health?
These questions are important to gaining satisfaction with your journaling, because your motivations need to match what you journal.
If you cannot trust that your journal will only be accessed by you, it is worth investing in a lock or to find a safe location to store your book. I’d also recommend avoiding telling untrustworthy people about your journaling. Ultimately, finding a system that works for you as a person in your situation must be something you embark on your own.
Journaling to remember can take many different forms. Depending on how much you write you can adjust to what memories you capture. For example, someone who writes daily may write about their day. If you don’t write frequently you may write whenever an event you want to document occurs. Journaling to reminisce can certainly be an option as well, to keep significant memories in writing. Sometimes it’s the little things that become precious later on, which is a special aspect of revisiting old journals. Our lives can change in ways we don’t expect, but journals can be tributes to the moments in our lives that we value.
Travel journals are another option, as they are easy to carry with you and provide some entertainment on your trip. Journals can be powerful souvenirs because they can unlock memories that emotionally transport you back to those places.
There are more artistic ways of exploring self-expression through writing. From practicing a stream of consciousness style of writing to poetry and metaphors, you do not have to limit yourself to writing an ethnography of your own life. Your journal is a space for you and you only.
You can also expand from the writing medium as well. It can be fun to collect small things throughout your day to add to your journal. From ticket stubs, stickers and birthday cards, you can include physical keepsakes in your journal. You could even add pressed flowers, leaves, Spotify QR codes or drawings.
Writing for your mental well-being is a bit more complicated than just picking up a pen. From my experience, journaling has improved my mental well-being, but it took learning strategies to do so because I found it is also possible to write yourself into a worse state of being. Journaling, if you don’t practice with caution, can lead to dwelling on and maintaining negative emotions. It can be easy to fall into writing a grocery list of complaints, but this likely won’t serve you in the way you wish. This does not mean avoiding negative subject areas, simply that there is a time and a place. Writing is a tool, it is neutral. It is how you use it that creates an outcome.
Writing practices may improve your mental well-being as well. You can have a gratitude journal to remind you to be grateful or a separate journal that focuses on positive ways of thinking. Journaling for mental well-being is to journal with a purpose. You must be intentional with what you write, to be intentional with the outcome you get from it.
For UVic students there is support via campus that can help you to journal mindfully. For guidance on wellness journaling, you can join the UVic Wellness Journaling Club. This club will also give you a community for mutual writing support, as well as help from students who have been trained by professionals. The UVic Wellness Journaling Club meets every Monday at 4:00 p.m. and Friday at 4:30 p.m. in front of the fountain by the McPherson Library. This is a low commitment club where you can drop by when you want. To learn more, visit their Instagram at @uvicjournalingclub2022.
Journaling can be a deeply rewarding practice. From working through internal struggles to creating a place to revisit memories. Remember, this is a hobby that can be started at any time. Don’t feel guilty if you need to take breaks from writing too. Figure out what works for you and happy writing!