Journaling – over the last few years it has become more and more of a trend on social media, in conversation, and in daily routines.
Everyone seems to be doing it these days.
Bullet journals, gratitude journals, habit trackers, scrapbooks, etc.
Whatever type of journal you can come up with, someone is already selling it.
Why are journals so trending and popular?
Well, it’s very simple.
People have found out that journaling actually works.
It helps reduce anxiety, improve your mood, enhance emotional processing, and clear your mind.
The list goes on and on.
Today we want to inspire you to pick up a (virtual) journal, and use it as a tool to mentally reset.
You only need 5 minutes!
1 minute to read this blog post, and 4 minutes to do a mental reset through journaling.
We are going to get started right away, are you diving in with us?
Some Quick Tips and Motivation
Are you just getting into journaling?
These tips might help you feel more comfortable and confident.
- Journaling is not tied to a place or time, you can do it anytime, anywhere.
- You don’t need any fancy equipment. A regular pen or pencil, a piece of paper, a half-empty notebook, Google Docs, the notes app on your phone, anything will work.
- We recommend trying to be a bit consistent with journaling before spending money on expensive journals or pens, if that’s how you want to express your creativity.
- You can stick to a certain format, but you don’t have to.
- Explore, especially in the beginning, you might find that certain formats, e.g. answering questions, or brain dumps, do not work for you, while others work great. Explore and grow as you go.
- Keep it fun. If journaling starts to feel like a drag, or a goal that’s impossible to achieve, skip a few days, go back to doing something else, or forget about it for a while altogether.
- Journaling is not about eloquence or perfection. It is a tool that can be used to help you clear your mind, and become a better person.
What to Actually Write Down
You don’t have to stick to a format, or do the same type of journaling every day.
Heck, you don’t even have to do it every day.
Some days it might be hard to come up with something, some days your hand will get sore from writing/typing.
Here are some ideas on what type of journaling you can do to get you started.
You can always choose to do multiple in a day, change over time, or to do something else entirely.
1. Brain Dump
Write down everything on your mind without judgment.
We’re talking to-do lists, worries, anxieties, happy thoughts, fears, gratefulness, literally anything.
Wanna learn more about doing a great, mentally refreshing brain dump?
2. Gratitude Focus
Write down things you’re grateful for, to shift your focus and perspective.
Our mindsets are incredibly important for how we experience life.
Changing our mindsets can be quite simple through changing our focus.
If we focus on the positive, the positive becomes more obvious.
If we focus on the negative, the negative becomes more apparent.
Try one of these for a few days:
- Before going to sleep, or upon waking up, think of 1-3 things you’re grateful for, and write them down.
- It can be ANYTHING.
- After 10 days, look back at your list of small gratitudes, think about how your focus and mindset have changed in the last 10 days.
- What stands out to you?
- Do you notice a change in behavior?
- Do you feel a shift in mood?
3. Reflective Journaling
Take some time to slow down and think about your day.
Here are some questions you could answer to reflect on your day.
- What went well?
- What could have gone better?
- What do you want to improve tomorrow?
- What are some things you wanted to get done, but couldn’t finish?
- How did you feel when waking up?
- How are you feeling now?
- What is your aspiration for this week?
Reflecting on your day can help you let go of daily stress and worries and clear your mind before going to sleep.
4. Prompt Journaling
Prompts can be useful to dig a little deeper, and explore yourself more.
Usually prompts give you some direction to follow, in order to learn more about yourself.
They can be tender, practical, intense, deep or inspirational.
You can find a bunch of inspiring prompts in the picture on the left.
Of course there are many more different ways of journaling.
Don’t wait to get motivated to journal, start today, and instantly feel a shift in your mindset.
What is your favorite way of journaling? Let us know in the comments so we can also dig in and explore.
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