Journaling Made Easy: Steps to Get Started
I think we have all heard the power of journaling when it comes to managing emotions and reframing our thoughts. Journaling is a conduit that allows us to explore and develop ourselves in order to show up as our best selves. If you are curious about journaling but don’t consider yourself a “natural” (ps. there is no such thing!), I’m going to share some tips you can use to get started.
Get your gear! This is the fun part— finding what you’re going to journal with! This can be as simple or extravagant as you want it to be, there is no right or wrong way to do it. If you want to journal on napkins, do that. If you want to get a custom journal, do that. Take some time to find or buy a journal or notebook to use and pick out your favourite pen— that’s all you need to get started.
Make a plan. Make a plan for when you will journal and make sure that plan fits realistically in your day-to-day life. For example, when I started journaling more consistently, I committed to journaling once a week (Sunday at 1pm — yes, that was the exact day and time I showed up for myself every week!). That became a routine that I have stuck to for over 5 years!
What to write about. Don’t overthink it! This is a judgement free zone where you can write as much or as little as you want to. When you’re just getting started, it may feel easiest to write about what happened in your day. Even though you knoooow what happened in your day, it helps to write it down and release it from your thoughts.
For example, “I woke up this morning and had a cup of coffee before everyone else woke up. I love the 10 minutes of quiet I get before I start my day.” or “Had a hard day at work today… it felt like everything that could go wrong, did. UGH!”
Writing about what happened, without diving any deeper than that, is a good way to practice journaling. Trust that more will flow from there once you get comfortable putting pen to paper. Still looking for some ideas to get you started? Try these prompts…
Journaling Prompts
What did you enjoy about today?
What is something you can’t shake about the day? Write out the situation as you remember it happened and what it triggered or challenged you with. Talk about how you felt about it and why it was impactful. What would you do differently?
Share a funny story about your day
Share something you’re grateful for
Share your intention for the day/week/month
Share what you’re feeling in this moment RIGHT NOW. Even if that’s “I don’t know what I feel right now…”
What to do after journaling. Nothing! Shut your book and move on with your day. You just gave yourself some amazing self-care that will continue as you move along your day. You are welcome to look back and reflect on your entries as time goes on or you can let them be.
“Your Journal is like your best friend. You don’t have to pretend with it, you can be honest and write exactly how you feel.”