Journaling: Where Do I Start?

I have become journaling's biggest fan. No really - If journaling was a person and had its own

social media, I'd stalk the shit out of them. I really owe journaling my life because countless times, journaling has saved me or brought me back from the autopilot version of myself. The best part about journaling is that it can be customizable to each person and their needs for the seasons of life they are currently in. You can journal for grief, for organizing your thoughts, to remember the best times in your life or for a form of therapy. Journaling is for EVERYONE and for ANYTIME. I truly believe it is the ONE thing that you can do every day to make your life better. It can clear your head and your heart and it can also help keep you on track. I think everyone has gone through a season of life where they didn't feel heard or felt like they had no one to talk to and if that is you, journaling can be that for you. You can get all of your thoughts out.

I remember first starting out on journaling and what held me back from starting earlier was the repeating voice in my head, "Where do I start? What do I even write about? I'm not sure what to put down or how to format it." I used this excuse for far to long and it prevented me from getting started. I finally reached a point in my life where I was in a dark place in a deep rut and I needed to claw myself out. I needed a tool to help me reclaim my life. I decided I would start writing things down. It wasn't pretty at first but I just wrote what I was feeling in that moment. I didn't have a time limit or a word count I was reaching for but I did know that I felt better the longer I wrote. It was like after my conscious thoughts came out, I was pulling things out from my deep subconscious and solving my own problems, healing my old wounds and relieving trauma that had been stored for a very, very long time. The more I journaled, the better and more lighter I felt. It didn't last long though. Like I said, I was in a deep rut and in a dark depressive state. Anyone who has been there can tell you that consistency is the first thing to flee. The things that make you feel good become the last things you want to do. Why do we do that?! I'm sure some psychology major can tell me but even though we know better, we can't seem to DO better. Then the cycle continues. On one of my days of clarity, I decided that I needed a tool to help me on the darker days. I needed a key, a list, a guide to help me stay on track and do the things that I know are good for me and that I know help me to feel better. I thought of all the things that I do on my good days that make me feel my best and I wrote them down like a checklist. I kept this on a notepad and it wasn't pretty but it worked. After about a year of using this method, I looked all over to find a cute, aesthetic journal that I could keep this tracker in. There were so many options but nothing that had EVERYTHING I needed so I made my own. A journal where I could check off the things that make me feel good like going outside, reading a book, saying what I'm grateful for. A journal where I could vision my future, happiest self and what she looked like. A journal where I could jot down what was on my heart. A journal that could keep me on track, even when my brain was trying to knock me off the rails.

How it works:

There are five sections in my journal to hit all of the points that I was using to keep me intentional and keep me on track. The sections include: daily goal, gratitude, checklist, affirmations, and journal entry. The whole process should take about 5 to 10 minutes and you can add it to your morning or evening routine. I prefer the morning because I feel like it always starts my day off right and I feel like I am aware, alive and intentional when I spend the time to do it. It is a visual on what I need to do that day. It is a check in with my soul and a place to bring gratitude to the surface. I absolutely think using this journal is the tool to help you in whichever season you are in and for whichever reason.

I start by writing the date so I can go back and revisit and reflect. The next thing I do is write a couple of goals down for my day. Sometimes they are big goals like a task related to my job or a project I am wanting to finish and sometimes on not-so-good days, I make an attainable goal like "make the bed" or something I know I an accomplish and I know it will make me feel just a little better when I do so. Then I write down what I'm grateful for. Taking a hot second to think about what I'm grateful for and write it down always makes my heart feel lighter. No one ever regrets the feeling of gratitude. Regardless of your season, there is always something to be grateful for. It sounds cliche but if you can take the time to think of some things, even on your most bitter of days, you can find something that you are thankful exists in your reality. After writing gratitude, I move on to my daily affirmations. Put those good thoughts about yourself into the universe and your life will change. I promise you! It is such a confidence boost to say nice things about yourself. The next thing I do is take a couple minutes to free journal. The best way to do this is to just start writing without taking to much time to overthink it. Has something been bothering you? Is there something exciting going on in your life? Is there something you have wanted to tell someone but have no one to talk about it with? Seriously, the first thought that pops in that little brain of yours that works overtime every day, just write it down and just let your hand go. You'd be surprised at what comes out on the paper. You don't have to be perfect, you just have to do it. It can be as long or as short as you want. The final thing that I use this journal for is a tracker. The list of all the things I mentioned earlier is listed in this journal and once you complete it, just mark it off. Some of the things you have already done are listed and you will always have checked off things so even on your worst days, you can feel a little accomplishment by just spending a couple of minutes in your journal. Other things I have included in that list are "spend 20 minutes of quiet time." "Spent time outside" "drank all my water". You can check those off as you go or the next day refer back to the checklist and mark what you did.

I challenge you to journal for 30 days and see how you feel. Check in with yourself after a month of journaling and see if anything changed for you. I know that it changed for me and I'll never go back. It is such a source of therapy and personal development I have fallen in love with and I know you will too.

I have 3 different journals that are currently live on Amazon:

1: 5 Minute Daily Intentional Journal

This journal is my second edition of my original intentional living journal. It offers subtle changes to my OG journal template with a more aesthetic exterior and interior design.

2: Intentional Living Journal

My first journal! I created her in 2020 and I use her every day. This journal is in color and a very calming boho chic design.

3: Simply Boho Rainbow Lined Journal

This journal is smaller and so cute. It is a plain lined journal so you can use it for work, school, church notes or everyday journaling.

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