Panache

Every self-care buddy asks you to journal. So, you finally want to get into this habit and see if it can change your life or not. But you still don’t know how to do it? You may have questions about it. Or you may be confused about how to approach it and turn it into a habit.

Below are some points to help you guide through the therapeutic world of journaling.

Don’t try to write your life story.

When people approach journaling, they immediately want to write everything about themselves. They want to tell their whole life story. But you do not need to do that.

Begin by introducing yourself and start writing. You can mention a date, year, or day. You can also give some nicknames to your journal. Or you can simply start with “Dear Diary”. Do not ponder much over where to write. You can have a notebook as your journal or have a digital journal.

No matter what kind of journal you choose, it should not affect your expression. You can also have multiple journals. Or you can have both paper and digital journals. Do not get overwhelmed by the preparation. Just start writing.

Mention what you’re feeling at the moment.

Once you are done with day, date, and salutations, your pen might stop and you may wonder what to write next. This is what most people find challenging. They want to start this new habit that everyone talks about but their mind goes blank when it comes to following that habit.

One of the simplest solutions to this habit is writing what you feel in the moment. If you want to say you don’t know what to write. Mention it. If you feel empty, confused, or overwhelmed while you start to write, mention it as honestly as you can.

You can have your personal objective when journaling. And it can reveal its benefits to you later. But as a beginner, you can begin by exploring your feelings from one day to another. Try to know yourself from what you write in it. I am sure you will be surprised and may feel seen.

Gradually, build your trust.

It is hard to trust a new friend. Similarly, it is hard to emotionally open to your new journal as well. Also, remind yourself that there are certain emotions that you don’t want to confront yet. So, don’t feel frustrated about it. Try to take things slow.

You may hear stories about how journaling helped people emotionally and now they are a fulfilled personality. However, remind yourself that this is your journey and can be different from others. You can take as much time as you need to explore and express your emotions.

It may be hard initially, but once you start sharing your deepest thoughts in your journal. Soon, it will become your go-to friend. Trusting your friend requires time. So does writing and confronting your emotions. You need to be patient as a newbie with journaling.

Express in the way you want.

Not everyone expresses better with words. You can express your emotions through doodling, drawing, sketching, painting, sticking pictures, and many other ways.

Your journal is a blank canvas for you. And you can express yourself in the medium you desire. You can stick tickets for your movie date. Or stick to the menu of your favourite restaurant. Then, continue writing about why you love the place and what is your favourite memory about that place.

If you can’t write anything. Start doodling anything you want. You can doodle your name or the name or characters of your favourite childhood show. Decorate your pages and add some life to them. Paint some tentacles around your words to show how claustrophobic, it feels to write about feelings you can’t convey.

Once you build a habit of writing in your journal, you will look for the events in the day to write or describe. After all, it is going to be your best friend.

Start with how your day went.

What to write when you have nothing to write? It is the biggest question that someone faces when they start journaling. So, begin by describing how your day went.

Try to mention everything regarding what you were feeling when you woke up, got ready, and went to work. What were you planning to do through the day and everything you accomplish? Of course, it depends on the time you are writing in your journal.

Similarly, if you are writing in the morning, write how you are feeling about the day. Set the tone in your journal and follow through with it. This will make you more mindful about your day and how you choose to spend it. You will be conscious as you are going to share it in your notebook.

Use prompts.

Sometimes, you may not know or understand how to describe anything. You are new to this habit and don’t know how to begin. In such a situation, you can always take the help of prompts.

Prompts or journaling prompts are small phrases or questions that can trigger some thought or a reply. These will help you dig deep into knowing yourself and understanding why is it the way it is.

You can find these prompts on the internet. You can answer something as simple as your childhood memories to as deep and soul-searching as shadow work. Prompts are the best tools to help you express yourself in your journals. Especially, on the days, when you don’t know what to write.

Protect your journal.

When learning to explore yourself emotionally, you can only dive deep when you know you are in a safe environment. Therefore, it is necessary to protect your journal as best as possible.

Many people start journaling but as soon as someone reads through it or finds out what they have been writing about, they lose interest. Not only they cannot be honest in their journals. They also give up on the habit as they do not see any point in that anymore.

Therefore, your primary objective is to safeguard your journal. If you have a digital journal, make sure it is password-protected. If you have a notebook or a paper journal, hide it as best as you can.

People may not read your journal because of some malicious intent but to know if you write about them. To know you better or to know what you think or think about them. No matter the reason, there are chances you might not be able to recover so it is better to protect your journal.

Learn to explore your emotions.

As mentioned above, journaling can be done with a lot of objectives. However, it is mostly done to explore different areas of your personality. You may have millions of thoughts in your head. You may also feel burdened by them.

But when you write them, they are on paper in front of you. They do not feel so heavy. You can see through them. You can see their origins, their births, their pros and cons. You can detangle a lot of threads simply by writing them.

Writing in your journal before you sleep makes you feel lighter and less overwhelmed. It will help you know yourself better and resolve emotions you feel are too complex to understand.

Take your time to fill it.

Many people feel restrained to fill their journal or notebook within a certain period. But there is no rule as such. You can take your sweet time in filling your notebook in the number of days you want to.

You can stop writing when you don’t feel like it and resume again when you feel like expressing your emotions in your journal. You can pick it up anytime you want. And that is the best aspect about you. It will always be there waiting for you.

Try to build a habit.

Even though, you can drop and pick the habit of writing in your journal. However, it is a healthy habit to have. If you want to inculcate self-discipline and enlighten yourself, you must journal regularly.

It is not only a device for self-understanding but self-care too. You may not know which course it takes when you keep writing in it. But through your journal, you can always look back and see how far you have come.

Conclusion.

It is not hard to follow through the habit of journaling. Being new to this, you can start by getting a journal and start. You will be on an adventure. The best part is there is nothing wrong or right to this. You make your own rules and break them as you desire. The world is your oyster.