Journaling

Journaling is the regular practice of recording thoughts, emotions, and experiences. You can use your journal to boost your emotional  wellbeing and help with self discovery. A journal offers a private space to manage stress, enhance memory, and achieve personal goals. Effective techniques include free writing,gratitude lists and bullet journaling.

How to start journaling.

Keep it simple, start by writing for only a few minutes, focusing on daily events or thoughts.  Be consistent but flexible, by choosing a regular time to write, but don't worry if you miss a day. There are no  rules so you can forget about perfect grammar and spelling. 

Your Journal.

You get to choose the type of journal you create, you can use a notebook, create an art journal, a computerised journal or a digital app. 

Some Apps to consider.

Apple Journal (ios)  this is free and simple to use and is pre- installed on i phones. I t suggests entries based on your photos/ locations.

Obsidian - stores files locally on your phone - your own data entirely.

Day One - Allows photos, audio, and automatic weather/ activity tags.

Journey - cross platform which is great if you want to switch between an Android phone and a windows laptop.

Once you've picked an app, immediately enable Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode in the app settings. A journal is only useful if you feel safe being honest in it. Enable Notifications, to give you a gentle reminder for a time you're usually free, like lets say 9pm. Use prompts if you have writer's block look for a  prompt or reflection button.

The DIY online journal

If you don't want to use an app, you can use tools that you already have.

You could use Apple notes or Google Keep to create a dedicated folder and lock individual notes with a password.

Create a private Instagram or TikTok , you can do this by creating a second ' locked' account with zero followers. Post photos or videos as your entries- it is essentially a visual, time stamped digital diary.

Use Google Docs to create a simple and accesible document or a folder with a new Doc for each month.

Common writing techniques

Free writing your stream of consciousness. Let thoughts flow onto the page without judgement or editing.

Gratitude journal writing down specific things you are grateful for each day.

Reflective journaling Processing events and identifying lessons learned.

Bullet journaling Using bullet points totrack tasks and thoughts.

Art journaling Use paint , mixed media, magazine articles, glitter, feathers or anything else to makes your personal statement in your Art journal.

What to write

Write about what made you feel happy, stressed or uncomfortable today. Any goals you want to achieve either long term or short term.  'Brain Dumps' just empty all your thoughts onto paper! and Gratitude lists. You can copy and paste sections of text from this website if you want to remember something or write about your thoughts on a particular subject matter. Anything goes really, it's your journal.

Happy Journaling!