Table of Contents
Can I write anything in my journal?
You can write about anything you want, so don’t feel like you can only write about how you feel. You might instead prefer to write about your daily accomplishments or what you enjoyed that day. While you can use a paper journal, there are journaling apps and websites you can try. This seems to be a common refrain amongst the journaling community and especially for memoir writers. Don’t throw out your journals—they are tiny pieces of you. They are the raw materials for whatever autobiography you may want to write later. This seems like solid advice. Perhaps you’re a visual person. Art journals are a great way to reflect and explore new mediums – even for the non-artistic. Art journaling includes collages, drawings, sketches, painting, stamping, even writing or digital illustrations. A journal and a diary are similar in kind but differ in degree. Both are used to keep personal records, but diaries tend to deal with the day to day, more data collection really, and journals with bigger picture reflection/aspiration. Rereading Journals is a Valuable and Powerful Activity. We not only keep journals and find the process of writing in our journal valuable. We also often reread our journals, for all sorts of reasons. This rereading experience can be just as valuable and powerful as the initial writing experience—sometimes, even more so …
Should I write in my journal everyday?
Improve writing and communication skills Writing, like anything, improves with practice. When you journal every day, you’re practicing the art of writing. And if you use a journal to express your thoughts and ideas, it can help improve your communication skills. Writing, like anything, improves with practice. When you journal every day, you’re practicing the art of writing. And if you use a journal to express your thoughts and ideas, it can help improve your communication skills. Journaling also helps people hone their focus so that they think about only one thing at a time. When you write your thoughts by hand, you can only write one word at a time. Your thoughts slow down to match your writing speed and you’ll find that it’s easier to slip out of your overthinking mindset. If you’re struggling to journal, you need to maintain some sort of consistency. Set a specific time each day or once a week to journal. You can journal for 20 minutes every Sunday at 9 pm or opt for 5 minutes a day every morning at 8 am. Be specific! Studies show it’s better to journal at night because it gives you an outlet for emotions and thoughts that might otherwise keep you awake. Mindful journaling allows the space to show up for your own emotions—contentment, anxiety, hunger, exhilaration, even sheer boredom—and just hang out with them for a little while. As with any consistent mindfulness practice, this opening-up with kindness for yourself can’t help but spread to those around you.