I started regularly journaling in November of 2018 and it has been phenomenal for me. I started journaling following a visit to a mental health hospital. In there, there is not much to do in between therapy and mandated activities. As a result, I started writing when I didn’t feel like socializing with the other patients. Since then, I have kept up with journaling every single day, and it has affected my life in such positive ways.
Writing in a journal every day lets me release thoughts and feelings that I might not otherwise get out. I can talk to my journal about anything without judgments or unwarranted advice. If I feel guilty about some feelings I am having, I can write in my journal until I can better understand my feelings and then talk to a friend or a professional as needed. When I was going through a really tough break up, journaling was my best friend. My friends wanted me to move on and have a “forget them” attitude when I wasn’t ready for that. I could tell my journal about my feelings for my ex that I couldn’t tell anybody else. Mentally, I felt like that was a big weight taken off my shoulders.
In addition to traditionally written journaling, I also do bullet journaling. Bullet journaling helps me organize my life. When I sit down to make pages, I feel like I am taking better care of my life and my headspace. Although I don’t always keep up with my pages, it helps settle the feeling I have that I need to organize, clean, and take care. Bullet journaling helps me lessen overwhelming feelings as well. Some ideas for bullet journal pages include:
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Monthly Spreads
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Calendars
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Monthly Expense Tracker
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Ways to be Okay (Self care page)
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Birthday Trackers
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Routine Pages
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Food tracker
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Due Dates
Using these pages can help organize your life and get your stuff together. There is an endless amount of ideas you can use for bullet journal pages. Pinterest is a great way to find inspiration for bullet journal pages!
I hope you can find journaling as helpful and inspirational as I do. It may seem tough to keep up with at first but if you stick to it, it will get better and easier. Remember that you don’t always have to write a novel. Write whatever you feel like writing.
Xoxo, Rye