We’ve all been there, you’re in a bookstore and you see the most beautiful journal with the prettiest cover that you’ve ever seen, so of course you have to buy it. But what happens to the book when you get home? A lot of the time, the pages under that beautiful cover are left empty, and the book is left to rot. Trust me, I’m speaking from experience, I myself have multiple journals in various stages of decay. If you pick up any one of my journals, they can hit every part of the spectrum from used and abused to half full and completely empty. And not to brag or anything, but I am currently halfway through my most recent journal, so I kind of know what I am talking about. While I might not be the expert, I do have a few pointers for those who want to get into their own practice.
What’s so important is the way that writing works out your brain. Journal keeping is deeply personal. Keeping a record of your emotions and ideas allows you space to reflect on your thoughts more analytically. I have found that doing things like reading back your entries can help in understanding your headspace and thought patterns. This is actually a great tool to help understand yourself on a deeper level. Reflection and meditation through your writing is also great for stress management. But just like a workout, pushing yourself to be open and honest is difficult. While something being difficult doesn’t mean you need to stop, it does mean that you must find what works best for you.
It’s clear why journaling is good, and if you’re reading this, you probably are already interested in it, but actually establishing the habit is the hard part. For example, personally, I’ve never been able to get myself into a consistent one-page-a-day schedule, while others do find it to be beneficial. Something else I picked up is looking online for inspiration. One of my favorite creators is live.brave2, whose post you can see below. There are just so many styles of journaling that if you look around enough, you’re guaranteed to find one that works for you.
The style that you most likely know best is diary keeping. Lots of people take up diaries, and it’s definitely beneficial in finding opportunities for self-reflection and memory keeping. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a more creative space, I am a big fan of junk journaling. Junk journaling is the collection of everyday items like receipts, clothing tags, stickers (and even more junk) and putting them all together to make it look pretty on the page. A sort of mish-mash of multiple styles is called commonplacing. A commonplace journal is a space where you can put anything, including things like doodles, book reviews, lists and tons more. My favorite thing about this method is the lack of rules, the complete freedom is what I think makes commonplacing a great option for a beginner.
What all of the styles I mentioned share in common is the low barrier to entry. If you have a writing utensil and a piece of paper, you are all set! It’s really easy to buy into the pretty stationery and the nice leatherbound books, but sometimes these things can be deterrents. And don’t get me wrong, I love stationery just as much as the next person! The problem is that seeing the perfect bullet journal spreads on Instagram or the stationery hauls on TikTok convinces you that the aesthetic and the tools of keeping a journal are what’s important, when that could not be farther from the truth. Journaling is one of the few things that is widely accessible. Your journal is for you and you alone. No one else needs to see or read your writing, no one else needs to know it even exists. All you need to do is get started and put your inner thoughts down on the page, and that can be done with a number two pencil and a composition book just as well as it can be done with a Louise Carmen and a fountain pen!