Introduction to journaling

I mention in some of my wellbeing blogs that journaling helps me.  People have asked me to do a blog on this topic.  Journaling is a big topic to cover and so I will start with an introduction to journaling, tell you about the different kinds of journaling, and then do some follow up blogs.  I believe that hand written journals have a bigger impact on your wellbeing than electronic journals, as they seem to give time to connect to the brain more easily.  If you do not fancy keeping a physical journal, you can do an electronic one.

What is journaling?

Like most of the things that I write about, journaling is different for every one and it is important to find what works for you.  Basically though, it is about writing your experiences, thoughts and your feelings on paper so that you have awareness and can untangle them and understand them in a clearer way.  It is a process that takes time.  Some people may journal as a daily diary and do it every day, but I just do it when I am over whelmed, have a problem to solve, or need to get negative feelings off my chest when they are impacting on my mental health.  I have kept daily journals though, for years, and so journaling is already a habit for me when I need it. There are lots of different ways to journal and I will share some below.

The Different kinds of journaling.

Gratitude journaling

I kept a gratitude journal for a couple of years when I was trying to change my mindset.  Previously it had felt like life was against me and I always got the wrong end of the stick.  A gratitude helped me focus on the good things that were already in  my life, or were happening every day.  I was able to see the positive changes that were happening in my life, which  motivated me more and made me feel more content with my life.  It really did help me feel happy.  In this journal I just used to write down at night what I was grateful for during the day.  I tried not to make it generic like that I have my health or enough to eat.  I focussed it on the little things eg.  some one smiled at me, I’d seen a rainbow, I found a bargain at the supermarket.

Personal Diary journaling

I did this when I first started my journey towards retiring.  I kept it daily and wrote down my aspirations, doubts, what was motivating me and about the fears that were hindering.  I would write my reactions to people and circumstances and review them and try to think of better ways of behaving in future.  I would write down my goals and what actions I had taken that day to help me get to my goal. I would dissect my doubts and fears in great detail to get to the bottom of them so that I could overcome them..  I didn’t have any prompts to my diary but there are plenty on the internet if you want some to get you going.  It was a very personal diary and I would have been upset if anyone else had read it.  Later on my journey, and a few years down the line, it was good to read this diary and see how far I had come.

Reflective journaling

This is what I do, I think, though it is probably a mixture of this and stream of consciousness journal.  I don’t have any prompts but I just empty all of my thoughts and feelings on to the page.  I carry on writing even when I think that I have nothing else to write about.  This is when my sub conscious kicks in.  I find that when I am trying to deal with a problem, when I have exhausted all the solutions that I can think of, I don’t give up and keep writing.  The ones that come into my head at this point, are the ones that usually work.  I find this kind of journal helps me to reflect and see things more clearly, but also helps me to review what is working, and what isn’t.  It is important that you talk to yourself nicely in this kind of journaling, and do not put yourself down.

Stream of consciousness journaling

This journal kind of fills itself.  It is written without prompts, and you just write. It is like a massive dump on to the paper. This kind of journal has improved my writing and has helped me to be more honest with myself, which then helps me to be honest when talking about difficult subject with other people.  It has helped my empathy and understanding of my own strengths and weaknesses.

Food Journaling

I have done this a few times.  Basically I used to write down every thing I ate.  It is easy to con yourself and eat something because you don’t think that you have eaten a lot that day.  If it is in black and white, it is harder to justify that extra biscuit. I would write down my mood when eating as well.  Later when I had got control of my eating, I would keep my food journal to document lovely meals that we had eaten and put in pictures, or I would write in recipes that I really enjoyed making.

Travel Journaling

I haven’t really done this one, but when I was a child I did keep scrap books of holidays.  It is the same idea, really. They can make you more mindful when travelling as you take lots of photos and find out what is available locally in the are that you are travelling.  You can record things that were useful like a travel pass, places to park, and it helps to keep a log of significant memories to read later on a damp, winter’s day.  In a way it can act as a gratitude diary as well as you are writing all the good things that happened whilst you were away.

Bullet Journaling

This is a kind of planner.  It is where you can record goals, intentions, milestones, barriers, to do lists etc.  It helps you organise and focus on changes that you are trying to make to your life.  It is like a memory prompt or nudge to keep you aware.  I kept one when I did life coaching.  I used to put inspirational quotes into it, achievements, and my ‘win’ of the day.  It was a bought diary that had lots of boxes to fill in with prompts each day.  It helped to keep me on track and motivated.  You could make one of your own in a blank journal.  There are lots of templates on line.

Nature Journaling

This kind of journaling makes you more mindful when out in nature.  You write down about everything that you see and take pictures.  It helps you experience the seasons and when I kept one, it made me go out into nature so that I had some thing to write about.  I would write down new footpaths that I had found, or the good places to forage for wild food.  I would write down in spring when I noticed young growth of certain plants so that I knew to go back there later in the season.  I kept this diary during Covid and it gave me a purpose, and made me feel like my life wasn’t just standing still.

Art Journaling

If you are not good at writing it is still possible to journal using art or doodling.  I have a friend who explores her creativity through art journaling and she draws differently, depending on her mood.  Doodling allows her to draw without thinking too much which opens her mind so that she can think about things.  Sometimes she uses this journal as almost a vision board and sticks pictures and words into it.  Her first journal was very simple, but the fact that it is really complex now shows how far she has come on her journey.

Video Journaling

I did this for a training course once.  I did not find it easy, but got more confident.  Again it is good if writing isn’t a good medium for you.  I would talk into my camera as if it was a therapist, and she was keeping quiet and letting me ramble and then answer my own questions.  Sometimes I shared these videos and sometimes I didn’t, but it did feel like I had shifted a big burden after I had done them.

What do I need if I want to start journaling?

1. I would say choosing a nice note book to write in helps.  You can get nice journals from places like the Works for a few pounds. Some have motivating quotes on. Any paper will do, though. I am using a blank note book that I was given a few years ago at the moment.
2. A pen that is easy to write with and flows.
3. Coloured pens or high lighters.  I highlight things that stand out for me.  Some people put drawings in, colour code entries, or like to write quotes or prompts in different colours.
4. Journal prompts if you need or want them (I will write some in my next journaling blog but they are easy to find on line)
5. Space.  Find somewhere quiet where you can be alone with no interruptions to your train of thought.
6. Time.  Journaling shouldn’t be something that you rush and try to fit in between other jobs. Your mind will not be in the right place.  I used to wake up early to fill  in mine, or it do last thing at night.  Now that I am retired I have chance to do it when I feel like it, or need it.  You do not have to spend a long time journaling, even 10 minutes will suffice.  It is a good idea to make it in to a regular routine when you first start journaling so that it becomes a helpful habit.
7. Glue to stick in pictures (if you want to)
8. Obviously you will need a phone or camera if you want to do the video journaling, or want to take pictures.

In my next blog on journaling I will write about all of the benefits of journaling and give you some easy prompts to get you started.  If you want general ones, a few good ones to start with are, describe your perfect day, or what you want your life to be like in 5 years time?  It was those prompts that made me realise that I wanted to give up work, and that I wanted a more simple, sustainable life.  Otherwise, you could use this time to think about what kind of journaling would suit you, find yourself a nice notebook, and work out when would be the best time for you to journal.  As a single parent when the children were young, I used to get up at 4pm in the morning to journal and it would get me in to the right mood to cope with the day.  If you journal, what kind of journaling do you do, and do you have any tips for getting started?