I find that by having my journal near me and leaving it in the places I choose to journal in, I’m more likely to stick to my practice.
3. Turn to your journal in moments of need.
While expressing yourself in a journal day and night is wonderful, your journal can be used for so much more. I love being able to reach for my journal in times of need. I recently got in a huge fight over the phone. I was sitting on the couch with my dogs and partner beside me. I threw my phone down and angrily got off the couch. Knowing myself, I knew I needed to let the anger out in another room. Before leaving the family room, I grabbed my journal. I gave myself the time I needed to properly outwardly express my anger, then I dove into my journal. Writing in it allowed me to process the event and see both sides of the disagreement. It also allowed me to calm down.
Journaling is a great resource to help you work through arguments, decisions, creative pursuits, and those times when your motivation is wavering. It can also serve as a tool to track your emotions, menstrual cycle, and any symptoms related to whatever health experiences you may be facing.
The beautiful thing about your journal is that it’s always there for you, whenever you need, no matter what you’re facing.
4. Make your journal a judgment-free zone.
We experience judgment from our families, coworkers, partners, friends, and even people at the grocery store. It’s a lot. Our journals shouldn’t be another place where we feel judged.
It’s important to allow yourself to journal freely without the fear of judgment. When we censor ourselves, we significantly limit the impact that journaling can have in our lives. It’s essential to be honest with ourselves while writing in a journal, and judgment can often get in the way.
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Make an effort to reassure yourself that your journal is a judgment-free zone.
So, setting yourself up for success with your journaling is half the battle. However, a successful journaling practice doesn’t mean much if you don’t exactly know what to journal about.
Here are helpful prompts that can fuel your journaling journey:
1. Check in with yourself and how you’re feeling: Our lives are busy. We can easily check in at whatever coffee shop we’re at on Facebook, but when was the last time we checked in with ourselves?
Using your journal as a tool for checking in is a beautiful way to connect with yourself each and every day. Use your journal to explore how you feel, how your day was, or what you have been facing.
2. Reflect on what happened during your day: Journaling can help you beautifully reflect on your day. You can write about your actions, your interactions, the way the events in your day unfolded, what you accomplished, how your day felt—whatever it is, journaling can help you close out the hours.
Source: SELF
