One thing I have always wanted to be good at was journaling. I always used to get videos on my YouTube feed like “5 journaling styles you should use!” or “Top 10 Journal tips for beginners” and of course, I watched all of them but they were always so discouraging. After finishing the videos, I found myself feeling even more hesitant to start journaling, worried that I could somehow be doing it wrong. Of course, none of those videos are ever made to make you feel inadequate, but, for me anyway, it was hard not to compare my journaling habits to others. Of course, now that I have been doing it for quite some time and have developed my own way of journaling and learned what works best for me, it is one of my favorite things to do. So I wanted to share some advice and knowledge that helped me start journaling and how I made it into a hobby of mine.
Write when you want to
The best piece of advice I have ever heard in regards to journaling is to only do it when you want to. I know this might seem obvious but when you hear people talk about how often they journal and how you should write every day to make it a habit, it can seem a little overwhelming. If you want to start journaling and you do want to make it enjoyable for yourself, then stick to writing what you want to say, when you want to say it.
It looks different for everyone
Another thing that I would like to share (and something that took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out) is that you can write in any type of notebook that you want. Again, another obvious one to some, but for me, it was hard to get the idea out of my head that my journal had to look a certain way, even if I was the only person who was ever gonna see it. A lot of videos about journaling make it out to be more of an aesthetic rather than an enjoyable hobby. Which of course is fine if that’s what you’re into, but journaling overall is not something you have to put a lot of effort into. You don’t need to have a specific journal, a fancy pen, or cute stickers to make journaling fun for you.
“Why do i want to journal?”
There are also many different types of journaling and reasons someone might have a journal so I think it is important to ask yourself, “Why do I want to start journaling?” Is it because you just want a new hobby to pass the time? Do you just want to use up some old notebooks you have lying around? Or maybe, you just want to have somewhere to vent all that you are feeling after a long day? Whatever the reason, I think it is useful to understand the “why” so that you can find out what you want to get out of the experience. Personally, I do it because I really love the act of physically writing things out with pen and paper and I also like having somewhere to write about my day and how I’m feeling.
Where, when, how
One thing that I do every single time that I journal that I have found makes it more enjoyable is, for lack of a better term, “setting the mood”. If I’m writing about something fun that happened that day or if I’m just in a good mood overall, I’ll put on some music that makes me feel upbeat. If I’m feeling a little annoyed about something or feeling a bit hectic, fast-paced classical music is my go-to. And for the times that I’m feeling a little angsty or moody, I dim the lights and put on some melodramatic music. My point is, making sure that you are in the right environment and setting to write can really help improve your overall state of mind and feelings toward journaling (at least it does for me!).
in conclusion: try it!
All-in-all, I think it’s just important to remember that how and why you journal is nobody’s business but your own. As long as you enjoy journaling, keep doing it the way that you want to because there really are no rules and there is no right or wrong way to journal. Even with the advice that I shared with you, don’t take any of it to heart. Do what works best for you and enjoy it! And remember, you won’t know if you like it until you try it.