How to Journal
“Journal writing, when it becomes a ritual for transformation, is not only life-changing but life-expanding.”
– Jen Williamson
Journaling is all about taking time to reflect within. Whether that is writing a full passage about your daily feelings or just listing a few things you’re grateful for, it’s a cheap and easy way to implement mindful practices into your everyday life – all you need is pen and paper!
Taking the time to put thoughts to paper has many benefits. It helps build a better self-awareness and understanding as you articulate your thoughts into written words. Journaling allows you to turn your attention inward as you sharpen your focus, prioritise concerns and identify negative thought patterns.
Getting started with journaling is easy: grab your favourite pen and a nice notebook, find a nice quiet corner and let your thoughts guide you. Stuck on where to start? Here are some prompts to help you:
1. List 5 things you are grateful for today
Taking the time to notice the little things that you’re thankful for can help you experience more positive emotions. Gratitude is about focussing on what you DO have, rather than what you don’t.
2. What are your goals for the next month? 3 months? 6 months?
Setting goals is an important step in life. Everyone has their long-term goals, they know where they want to be in 5 or 10 years, but what about short term? Take the time to plan and reflect upon your immediate goals – they’re the foundation of your long term ones!
3. How can you improve your self-care in order to love yourself more?
A famous Drag Queen once said: “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you going to love anybody else?” and those words will forever ring true. Self-love is a fundamental quality when it comes to success.
4. What are you biggest victories? How did you achieve them?
It’s time to pat yourself on your back, instead of praising other people’s successes, praise your own. Be your own cheerleader, big yourself up and boost that self-confidence!
5. Write a letter you’ll never send
A lot of people harbour unspoken feelings towards someone. Whether that’s frustration with a friend, anger towards a work colleague or any other energy draining feelings, writing down those thoughts allows you to say goodbye to the problem and focus on bringing in positivity.
You can spend as little or as much time journaling as you like. Some prefer to journal in the morning and manifest on the day ahead, some prefer to journal in the evening while they reflect on everything that has happened or you can even just add a few words here and there whenever you feel like it. It doesn’t need to follow a set structure, you can even just draw if you’d prefer not to write. Journaling is about creating order within life’s chaos & that order is personal to you. Look at writing like your own personal “me time”, look forward to it, enjoy it and know you’re doing good for your mental health!
Contact Us to have a chat about one to one Coaching
