If you don’t already, you have likely thought about establishing a personal journal. However, you may be one of the many that feels like you have failed if you do not write everyday or if you feel like you have nothing to say. Today I want to give you an introduction to my version of how to start a journal practice.
Notice I said MY version of journal writing. Your journal style does not have to be like mine – or anyone else’s. There is no right or wrong way to journal write – you just need to write.
I have been a journal writer for most of my life and there have been years in my life when I barely filled up a journal. There have been other years when I have completed more than one journal. I share with people that your journal is your friend/therapist/companion at 2:00 in the morning or 2:00 in the afternoon.
Research continues to show the benefit journal writing has upon health. It has been shown to increase t-cell production along with assist with improving overall mood in as short amount of time as 3-4 days of writing for only 20 minutes. Much cheaper than medication or a physician appointment.
The first thing in beginning to journal write is to find what you would like to write in. It doesn’t matter if it is a spiral notebook, bound leather journal or even your computer. Simply make sure it is something that you enjoy.
I encourage people to leave the first page blank on a journal and when you begin an entry to date it with the day of the week, date and time of day (it helps if you decide to reread at a later time).
Here are a few guidelines I share with others when we discuss How to Journal…..
- Don’t worry about spelling or grammar
- You can write everyday, once a week or once a month
- Use your favorite pencil, pen, crayon or marker (or all of them)
- Tell the story of a particular day or certain moment
- List some of your fears and worries
- List things you are proud of
- Write letters to friends and family (they don’t have to read them)
- Write out your prayers
- Draw pictures of how you feel or a place you have visited
- Place pictures or other objects you want to keep
- Remember THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG WAY to journal!!!
Most of us journal in some form already – a blog, daily calendars, bank account statements,and social media postings. A personal journal simply allows you a place to put your emotions and thoughts without judgement of others (which sometimes happens when you put that rant out in a post or Twitter).
If you are still uncertain, I encourage you to try nothing more than starting a daily gratitude journal. Each day, list 3 things you are grateful for on that day. If you are having a difficult time handwriting things, I suggest you try Happy Rambles. Register with this (free) site and each day it will send you an e-mail (at your chosen time) and ask you what you are happy/grateful for that day. All you need to do is reply with your list and it is saved under your profile. You can respond from your phone or computer just like any other e-mail. There are also various other apps for your phone to try.
Give yourself a week of beginning to journal on a simple basis and you may find you want to do more. Let me know about your own journal practice.
How To Tuesday is a regular series which appears the first and third Tuesday of each month. 
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I am really good at journaling when I travel and I love rereading about my adventures, but I have not developed the habit in my everyday life. I’d love to get into it. At least blogging is a little bit like an online journal?! 🙂
thanks so much for sharing these tips Sheryl! And thanks also for sharing the Happy Rambles.. I’m going to check that out!
Hopefully I will get into a better journaling habit 🙂
I always was majorly into journaling, but I have fallen out of practice in recent years. It’s really something I want to pick up, again though. I can tell a big difference in my life when I’ve given myself time to reflect through journaling.
I understand about falling out of practice. Although my blog is in many ways a journal – it is a public journal. There are things I need to write about and not share with others and I begin to feel the need when I haven’t written in awhile. I hope you can start your journaling again soon – even if it’s only once or twice a month is better than nothing!
I go in journaling phases. I know it’s good for me and that I feel better after I journal. I even become more inspired for my blog after journaling. But for some reason it’s still really challenging to make time and be committed. Great post! (visiting from the SITS Sharefest)
Brittany, I would love to be one of those people who journal everyday but I’m not able to be. I’ve become comfortable with realizing I journal when I need to. When I see periods where I do not journal, I realize that my life was going extremely well or not so great Probably not as therapeutic as it should be but it has become something that works for me. Thanks for stoping by!
I am going to try the gratitude journal idea and see where it takes me- thanks for the post! I have so many half filled journals around my house and I really want to be better at the whole process. Thanks for the ideas! ( visiting from SITS)
http://www.thegurugoddess.com
I love this!! I think I really need to start journaling because I am getting just too stressed out! Thank you so much for this 🙂
Stopping by from #SITSblogging