As a lover of pretty notebooks, I always wanted to be someone who journaled. I tried it out in March and lasted four entries before giving up on it until August. One entry in August, one in September and then four in November, two of which revolved around my realization that I needed to quit my job. I felt compelled to write about it in a notebook and after I actually quit journaling became a regular practice for me. What followed was 16 entries in December, sometimes twice in one day, and about the same in January. It has been such a relaxing, informative and constructive practice that I’ve become a huge advocate for it.
First things first – how to get started with journaling
Odds are you already have a notebook lying around. Start there. You don’t need a special notebook or special pens and if you’re a person who’s afraid of the first page then having something new and special will only make it more difficult. Take any old notebook and any pen you like and you’re ready to go. If you’re a person who does well with incentive, I’ve told myself if I keep writing I can buy more notebooks and that motivation works very well for me.
Once your notebook is open, it can be intimidating knowing what to actually write. I like to begin with the date, time of day and where I’m writing. If I’m at home I’ll get as specific as “in bed” or “kitchen island.” From there it’ll be easier to start. I think the biggest challenge I had to overcome when journaling was realizing that I didn’t have to write anything or in any way that didn’t serve me. Your journal doesn’t need your life story, it’s not a therapist doing a patient intake questionnaire. Start where you are, with what you feel and go from there. If you want to switch thoughts after one sentence, do it. Journaling is for you and you alone so don’t worry about how it reads or if it follows a cohesive train of thought.
While my entries vary, they usually focus on the things that I’m bothered by, the things I’m excited about, and the things I’m grateful for. I’ve found gratitude to be such an important aspect of journaling and try to write down at least three specific things that I’m feeling actively grateful for each time I write.
Why journal
I often go back and reread past entries. I’ve noticed how often my gut or sub-conscious knows something before I’ve fully come to terms with it. When I first began “funemployment” I often wrote that I was grateful for the privilege of being able to take this time for myself. I don’t remember feeling overwhelmed by gratitude but it was lurking there. “Today I am grateful to be able to afford this break” I would write often in the second half of December. It’s been two months since and these days I feel that gratitude in my bones, so much more than when I started writing it. My instincts are there and often right, even if they still need more time to become strong enough feelings to act on or feel deeply.
When I go back through old entries, I often find myself highlighting things I wrote that I want to remind myself of or go back to. It’s similar to highlighting a book, except it’s my own words that I find insightful and worth remembering. Journaling has helped me build trust and confidence in myself.
Journaling has also been a huge help in understanding and managing my anxiety. In one of my first journal entries I wrote that journaling made big, overwhelming thoughts feel small. I think that’s incredible. We get so caught up and the more we let thoughts simmer the bigger and more stressful they feel but putting them on paper puts them into perspective.
Are you convinced yet? I truly can’t recommend it enough and hope you love it as much as I do.
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