what is journaling? ✧˖°
Journaling means something different for every person you ask. In very simple terms, it’s taking a writing utensil and putting words on paper (even that can change, as some people type or draw instead of writing). It can very much be whatever you want it to be.
To me, it’s taking emotions out of my body and my brain, and putting them onto paper. It’s also taking ideas or thoughts and writing them down, so I no longer have to think about them, or so that I remember them for later.
Journaling is something anyone can do. It’s one of the most beginner-friendly hobbies out there, and is about the process more so than the final result. It doesn’t matter your skill level in writing or art or any of that; you don’t have to show anyone what you write or the pages you create, it’s purely about your own enjoyment.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ benefits of journaling
- Journaling can be a great way to focus on yourself. We all hear so much about how being on our phones all the time and doomscrolling isn’t the best for us, but it’s true. Journaling is a great hobby to start with to get yourself off your phone more and do something analog.
- You can learn a lot about yourself through journaling. To write about what you’re feeling, your thoughts, your opinions or whatever else comes to your mind can allow you to begin to notice things about yourself you’ve never paid much attention to. When you pause and really think about your own thoughts and experiences, you learn a lot about the way you view the world and notice more things about yourself.
- Journaling as a practice can be a very healing experience. It really helps to write things down if you’re going through something or are trying to grow and/or improve in some way. Besides learning things about yourself, journaling can allow you to learn things about situations, see new perspectives, learn new things, recognize patterns and much more.
how to start a journaling practice ⋆.˚˖࿔ ࣪
The biggest tip I’d give if someone asked me how to start their journaling practice is just to start. I know, it’s the worst thing to ever be told when you’re asking for genuine advice, but I promise you that’s literally all it takes.
It doesn’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to like the final result (it’s the process that counts and is most important), you don’t have to have a ‘style’ or a ‘method’ (those will eventually come with time and practice).
The most important thing, as with most things in life, is that you have to get past that hesitation to start. That being said, I will also give some actual advice and tips on what you can do to start your journaling practice.
- Start slow: Don’t go in expecting to push out 20 pages every single day with no downtime or breaks. Writing is like a muscle; you have to start slow and work your way up to the heavier weights.
- Set out time your day/week: Even with my previous statements being true, it’s still important to try and set aside at least a little time each day/week/month for journaling. Consistency is not the same as regularity. You are consistent if you come back to it at some point, whether that’s every day, every few days or every few weeks. You don’t have to journal daily to be consistent, but to come back to it means to set time aside to do it.
- Don’t go in with a bunch of expectations: One of the worst things you can do when getting into any creative hobby is to take and see all the amazing art or journaling spreads online and internalize them. That puts the idea that you have to create masterpieces from the beginning in your head. If you go in expecting a Picasso when you’ve never really done the thing before, you’ll likely be greatly disappointed and feel discouraged, and that can be said with more creative hobbies. You’re not going to be perfect right off the bat and that’s okay. In the beginning, all that matters is the process. You gain all the benefits of journaling and being creative whether or not you feel satisfied by the end result or whether or not your piece is Pinterest worthy.
- Make it fun!: Don’t go in with a completely negative or productivity-centered mindset where you’re only in it to seem productive or to be “that girl.” If you come in with a mindset like this, it’s easy for journaling to eventually feel like another chore, another task you don’t want to do and forget about or slack on because you lose the motivation that you had in the beginning. To best avoid this, make it fun! Spice things up. Use stickers or scrapbook paper. Use a fun pen with a pompom on the end or a fancy fountain pen you found. Anything that lights a spark, you want to try and incorporate in some way to bring the energy back into your journaling practice.
. ۫ ꣑ৎ . Different types of journals
Using journaling to add whimsy to your life °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
Turn your journal into a little place that you can come back to any time you need a little bit of whimsy. I’ve made my journal ecosystem and planner system into a big, elaborate, fun game with its own map and a world. There are also many little ways to make journaling something that can bring more fun into your life.
You can use your journal to make little sticker charts or sticker dumps, incorporate art and other mediums into your pages and so much more! Use colorful glitter ink pens, stickers and little gold stars. You can use a paper clip on some pages to attach small keychains or hanging charms to your journal. You can wrap a ribbon around your journal or add bows to the cover.
You can look into making your own journal covers out of various materials. It’s simpler than it sounds, all you need is a sheet of leather (or a more creative material like denim or fabric), some grommets and some elastic, and you have yourself a journal cover.
I’ve been working on hand-sewing a patchwork leather journal cover to wrap around one of my journals. It’s added so much whimsy to my life already and has been such a fun hobby. I love working on sewing my journal cover and I’ve been enjoying having it as an alternative to doomscrolling.
My last point of adding whimsy to your life using journaling is to get into solo journaling roleplaying! It’s like a fun campaign that involves creative writing and journaling that can be done entirely solo. You can find campaigns online and some are even free, such as the “Last Tea Shop” by Spring Villager. There are cozy and whimsical campaigns as well as complex fantasy ones, all with a little Google search. I highly recommend!
Use journaling as a gateway to introducing more creativity into your life.
‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹ some journaling prompts for spring
Here are some prompts I’ve found online and a few that I made up that I love for spring!
- You’ve heard of making a mood board for a new season, now let me introduce you to picking a color and a theme for each (journaling) season. Pick a color that you feel represents the season as well as a word to describe how you feel during this season, what you want this season to bring, or what you predict this season will feel like. I saw this idea from Jada De Luca on Substack, and I loved it so much I wanted to mention it to you guys as well! To me, this spring is very pink and green (yes, I cheated and picked two!) and in one word I’d describe it as … whimsy! It just feels fitting.
- What did the past season teach me? What have I learnt from winter, what can I take with me from the past season and what can I leave behind? It’s important to enter spring knowing what happened in winter, what you’ve learned and what you are or are not bringing with you into spring. I know I’m going to try to leave my need for external validation and the time at night in which I spiral in the months behind me, and I plan on bringing my positivity and good vibes with me into spring.
- What are five things I loved as a child? Do I still do those things today? How can I incorporate those loves my childhood self had into my life to reconnect with my inner child?
- What am I curious about lately? How can I indulge in these curiosities?
- What hobbies have I been focusing on? If you can’t find an answer to this, maybe it’s time to focus a little on our hobbies, especially creative ones, and give more time to focus on ourselves.
final notes 𐔌՞. .՞𐦯
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read my article! I really appreciate it. I hope this brought you some motivation to start journaling, or was at least a fun or interesting read.