Journaling frees your mind and soul. It allows you to vent and listen to your thoughts and reflect on your emotions. For me, whenever I am anxious about something, I journal about it. When I’m journaling, it allows me to be able to read my thoughts over and over again, become more at peace and calm about the situation, and therefore, less anxious. This is why I love to journal and try to practice as often as I can. It is important to take time to yourself each day. Letting your thoughts run wild on paper, recognizing all the good in your life and writing about random/fun memories can all be used in different types of journaling.
1. The Classic Journal
The classic way of journaling is what everyone first probably thinks of when they think of journaling. It’s like a diary. I write down my thoughts, what I did that day, how I am feeling about different things going on in my life, etc. This is a good practice because it’s not always good to let your thoughts and feelings stay in your head and sometimes you don’t always want to bother your best friend with all your consuming thoughts. It’s nice to finally get them on paper because it allows you to physically see what is going on in your head and for me, it makes me internalize my thoughts better.
2. Gratitude Journal
I bought this journal on Amazon called “Gratitude Journal: Journal 5 minutes a day to develop gratitude, mindfulness and productivity”. It was SIX DOLLARS! What a steal. Each day it starts off with what you’re grateful for, how you will make today awesome, and positive affirmations. Then, at the end of the day, you write down your amazing moments from the dya, how you would have made today better, and your goals/plans for tomorrow. I LOVE this type of journaling because of how structured it is. It really makes me reflect on what I am grateful for in my life each day which provides me with hope.
3. Margot Lee’s Tik Tok Pen to Paper Journal Prompts
Margot Lee is a social media influencer and creator who created her own journal prompts on Tik Tok in quarantine. She remodeled the idea and created the #PenToPaper idea about a month ago. Each day she posts different prompts on her TikTok that range from writing a letter to your younger self, free write, or reminiscing on childhood memories. I think this is such a fun way to journal, and it will be such a cool time capsule to look back on later in your life.
I encourage you to start journaling if you haven’t tried it yet. It is hard to be consistent with it. But don’t let that deter you from starting. Even if it’s once a month, that’s better than nothing. Any of these three ways (and there’s more ways to journal than the ones I’ve mentioned!) can help improve your mind’s well being. And journaling isn’t something that you should just do when you’re sad, journaling when you’re happy is such a great way to document the great moments in your life. Personally, I love looking back on my old diaries from elementary school and middle school. I find them to be so interesting, so if you haven’t found a reason to start, then do it so that one day you can look back on your writing with nostalgia!