Having a regular journaling practice can help to improve your life in many ways. Maybe you want to learn more about yourself, or just want to get something out of your head. Either way, journaling can help you out. Not only does this practice support self-expression and improved mental health, but it also allows you to gain a deeper connection with your inner self, helping you to discover new things about who you are as a person.

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What is Journaling?

Journaling is the process of writing down your thoughts, emotions and experiences with the intention of gaining a deeper understanding and connection with yourself.

This way of writing is meant to be a personal connection between yourself and your journal, so there’s no need to be worried about sharing your journals with anyone. They are meant to be close to your heart, something you can turn to whenever you need to release stress, record joyous events or write down your dreams and desires.

Whether you’re looking to release stress, record an event, or embark on the path of self-discovery, journaling is a tool that’s sure to help you out.

Why Journal?

Journaling can support mental health and can allow you an outlet of creativity and expression. If you find yourself feeling restricted in life, journaling can help you to better express yourself and gain a deeper understanding of who you are as a person. You can also use journaling as a tool to help you organize your thoughts and emotions.

Whatever the reason you decide to use journaling for, it’s important to know that there are many different ways to journal. If you find yourself struggling with staring at a blank journal and having no clue what to write about, no worries! There are many more ways you can journal which may be a better fit for you.

1. The Traditional Method

Of course, we’ve got to start with the most common way to journal. Grab a journal and write down whatever you desire, from your dreams and goals to a record of your day. This is a great method if you like to use your journal for a variety of things and feel motivated by having the freedom to express yourself in any way you desire. Just be careful, using a journal for many things can get a little messy!

Brain dump: Write down whatever comes to mind. Don’t think too much about it, just write.
Make lists: Write down things you wish to accomplish, or dreams you wish to achieve.
Diary entry: Write down your day, both the ups and the downs.
Write a letter: To yourself, to the universe, or someone else. Need to get something off your chest? Write a letter! No one has to read it; it can just be for you.

This method is a tried-and-true way of journaling, but if traditional journaling doesn’t cut it for you, here are some different ways to journal.

2. Prompt Journaling

If you find yourself staring at a blank page with no idea what to write about, you’re not alone. Many people find it easier to use prompts to help them feel inspired to write. Prompts are often in the form of questions and can help guide and inspire you. You can look up prompts online, or you can purchase a journal with prompts included. This way you’ll never run out of ideas of what to write about!

There are many prompt journals out there, some based solely on life improvement and joy while others focus on manifestation or just every day activities. Choose the one that best suits your needs.

3. Voice Recording

This may be a bit of an unconventional way to journal, but it’s no less effective. If writing is just not for you, you can still journal. Voice record your entries. You can talk about anything you want, and you are under no obligation to share them with anyone if you don’t want to. Want to get the difficulties of the day off your chest? Or maybe you want to record a positive situation that happened to you. Whatever it is, sometimes talking, even just to yourself, can help you to gain a different perspective on the difficulties or situations in your life.

4. Computer

Who says journaling has to be with a pen and paper? If you find yourself more comfortable typing your thoughts and feelings down on the computer rather than on paper, go for it! Open up a blank word document and write to your hearts content. Just make sure to save your journal entries so you can access them whenever you need.

5. Bullet Journal

Rather than purchasing a journal with lines, maybe buy a blank one or one with dots, or bullets. You can use this as a bullet journal. These are journals where you are able to let your creativity shine. If you like to balance out writing, planning, and doodling, bullet journaling is perfect for you! You can find prompts, layouts and journal ideas all over the internet to help inspire you.

You can decorate your journal with stickers, markers, cut out pictures, or anything else you want. A bullet journal can record daily entries, dreams and aspirations as well as be used for planning and organizing your thoughts and daily tasks.

6. Art Journal

If writing is just not for you, maybe try your hand at drawing instead. The point of journaling is to release thoughts and emotions and help you to have a better understanding of yourself. Although writing down your feelings and beliefs can be helpful, you can also express yourself through drawings and doodles. Don’t worry about if your art is ‘good’ or not, just create with the intention of expressing.

Had a tough day? Draw it out! Have a certain moment you wish to record? Draw it out! Be creative! Use markers, pens, colors, water color or paints to help express yourself.

7. Gratitude journal

Gratitude is a powerful tool to help you appreciate the things you already have and get into a state of appreciation and joy. When you are grateful for what you have, you feel better about yourself and the life around you. Then, you begin to notice even more things to appreciate and the cycle continues.

Gratitude is an easy practice to implement into your life. It can be done by simply noticing something and acknowledging that you are grateful for it, but many people find it easier to write it down in a journal.

A gratitude journal is a great way to write down all the things you are grateful for. Oftentimes, writing down a list of things you feel thankful for can help you to realize just how many good things you already have in your life.

You can purchase a normal journal and use it to write a list of things you are grateful for every day, or you can buy a journal already dedicated to gratitude. These often come with numbered lists and prompts to encourage you to create a daily writing habit.

8. Dream journal

Keeping a dream journal can help you to better understand yourself, especially if you keep having the same dream over and over again and don’t know what it means. Through repetitive dreams, your subconscious mind may be trying to tell you something or send a certain message. Keep a record of your dreams and see which ones begin recurring. You can also use your dream journal to track your sleeping habits and the quality of your sleep.

9. Mood journal

Keep track of your daily moods with a mood journal. Keeping a mood journal can help you become more aware of how you’re feeling and what may be triggering certain emotions. It can also help your mental health, bringing attention to habits or triggers which you may have been previously unaware of.

Make sure you write both your positive and negative moods, and try to find a pattern to what may trigger them. Once you find this, you can begin to engage in situations and habits that encourage positive moods while steering clear of the negative.

10. Meditation and Yoga Journal

Yoga and meditation are both great tools to encourage relaxation and help you to better understand yourself. Both allow you to quiet your mind and be in a state of peace. This place of silence and stillness is often where subconscious beliefs or thought patterns may come up. Keep track of what you learn in a journal.

You can also record the time you meditated or how long your yoga session was. Record how you felt. Was it easy to come into a place of relaxation or did you struggle? Did any emotions or thoughts come up? See if you can learn anything new about yourself as you begin to dive deeper into your mind and emotions. Meditation and yoga journaling are great tools if you wish to re-evaluate certain thoughts and beliefs and gain a better understanding of who you are.

In the End…

There are hundreds of journals to choose from, so whether you decide on a bullet journal or a dream journal, make sure that whatever you choose feels the best for you. Don’t worry about whether you’re ‘doing it right’ or not. There aren’t any rules when it comes to journaling, which is great in helping you to fully express yourself.

Although journaling is often used as a way to relax or help you on your path to self-discovery, don’t forget to have fun along the way!

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10 Ways to Journal