When I was visiting home my mom gave me two gold mines: my journals from elementary and high school. I had forgotten these existed, and I was surprised to realize I have been journaling all of my life. Flipping between the details of my teenage crushes and paper stubs of my John Mayer concert tickets, I became incredibly emotional. I realized how precious my feelings and emotions were at such a young age.
Journaling is a very powerful tool. Not only has it been scientifically proven to reduce stress and anxiety, it can even be used to heal chronic physical pain. One woman’s testimony with Journal Speak attested to a complete reversal of lifelong debilitating back pain. For creatives, Morning Pages became famous as a technique to improve creativity in artists.
For writers, journaling is a natural tool for expansion. It’s the first thing I did that “made me a writer”. I use journaling to hone in on my mindset practice, which is the backbone of everything I do! So much of my mental chatter can leave my mind and enter the page, allowing for more clarity in my daily thoughts. This translates to my feelings, actions, and ultimately my results. Here are some ideas to get started on your journaling practice today.
Buy yourself a nice journal
You don’t need a fancy journal to start journaling - it’s ok to journal using receipt paper or that free notebook you got at a work conference. When you are getting started, you might want a journal with more prompts in it, like Case Kenny’s mindset journals.
Nowadays, I prefer journals with blank, grid paper. I have been gifted some amazing journals over the years, and my favorite ones are Leuchtturm and Ottergami. I am a bit partial to grid paper over lined paper, because I like to draw when I journal. I also like to have a folder in the back of the journal for saving museum ticket stubs, business cards, and other memories.
Buy yourself a nice pencil case and pens
My Japanese classmate at Italian school brought a stuffed animal pencil case to school everyday. It was the hit of the school! It also showed that he was playful and ready to learn. Just like the expression “dress for the job you want, not the job you have” - if you want to write or journal more, you have to “be” someone who is committed to the task. That means getting yourself some nice pens and getting to work.
Always date your entries.
Often, I am referring back to things I wrote years ago. Especially in my recent experience, reading my journals from high school, I was so grateful I had historical context to the things I was writing about. You will never know when your future self will need to read this back and be grateful for all the ways in which you grew.
Start with a gratitude list.
Without fail, if I turn to the journal and don’t know what to write, I will start for the things I am grateful for. Gratitude has so many benefits, including reduced anxiety, increased self-esteem, improved relationships and ultimately making you feel happier. Who doesn’t want to feel happier?
Decorate your favorite instagram quotes
Instagram can be useful for short, punchy, motivational messages. If I found one that particularly resonated with me, I would draw it in my notebook and color it in with colored pencils. Suddenly this message became destined to meet me, speaking to me at an even greater depth.
Try writing your intention for the day by focusing on how you want to feel.
Back in the day, my intentions were completely goals and task focused. Maybe I would write, “today I want to crush my sales meeting” or “go to the grocery store, complete my taxes, and workout”. Now, I focus my intention on feelings. For example, “I want to feel confident while presenting value during my sales meeting”. This technique is very useful for adding some magic into your average day and helping you make time for what is really important to you.
Expressing intention is also an effective tool for days with big emotions tied to them. For example, on my brother’s wedding day, I wanted to feel present and connected to my family. As I was writing that morning, I heard the nervous excitement of my family around me: my dad was brewing us coffee, my mom and sister were collecting their formal dresses, and my brother was calmly showering. I knew it would be a long, emotional day and I wanted to focus on what mattered, which was supporting my brother and sister-in-law and being truly happy for them.
Find resources for prompts that you like.
If I am facing something challenging, I enjoy gathering some prompts from healing experts to work through what I am facing. You can simply google, “journaling prompts for [insert challenge]”, or maybe you’d like to follow a few experts on social media who can give you ideas. I love journaling prompts from Catherine Andrews, an excellent writer and coach.
Once you get going, it will be easy to fill up the journal yourself using your own prompts. One potential objective of journaling is to ask yourself hard questions. You are finding a way to build a relationship with your inner self.
Write future self letters
If you are ever going through something difficult, you can write a letter to your future self about how they might feel. For example, when I first quit social media and was tempted to go back, I would write a letter to future myself at the end of my challenge. “Dear Brenna, right now, it’s tempting to fill space. Know that on the other side you’ll feel confident, healthy, and clear-minded.” Is there any advice you would give yourself, once you are in the place you desire?
Write a list of 10 things you’re proud of yourself for.
Just yesterday, I called my friend Candace to talk about something I’m struggling through. She advised me to go to my journal and write down 10 things I’m proud of myself for. I started to see a trend emerge and gained clarity on the situation that was troubling me. Whenever you need a boost, you can be your own voice of reason.
Write down your dreams.
One of the most effective things I’ve ever done was write down a list of 100 things I want to do in life (my desires) without any forethought. I set a timer and bulldozed through any thought that came to my mind. My first list was 4 years ago when I was single, living in a studio apartment in Philadelphia, and completely isolated in a global pandemic. Shockingly, when I recently read this list back, 98 out of 100 items had been realized. Seemingly random items like learning how to compost, buying a fancy teapot or being interviewed on a podcast had all come true. Mind-blowing, massive shifts like eloping to an amazing partner, moving to California and also back to Europe ALL CAME TRUE. There is power in writing things down.
What about you? Do you have a journaling practice? What are some tips you can share with us?
One interesting piece of journalling advice I've come across is that you basically write your daily/weekly entries as a letter to someone close to you. That way you journal and reflect, but also make more intimate connections, giving others something they might value for a long time :)
Such a great read on journaling! I let my journaling fall off for awhile, and has made me realize how much I NEED it! I love the idea of getting more creative with some color, quotes etc is something I want to incorporate. Something that I do when I journal is write to my dad and sister, who both passed away in the last couple of years --- so healing.