How do I Journal? The Basics.
Journaling can have many positive effects on mental health and there are many ways to journal. I will provide more organized formats and journal prompts in other blogs but today I just wanted to provide some basic tips for basic journal entries.
Sometimes, I get out my beautiful journal and a nice pen, light a candle, play some music and journal at a table. Sometimes, I sit on my floor or my bed. Sometimes, I type into a computer or a note on my phone. Sometimes, I grab whatever paper is closest to me and just scribble. Journaling can be a thoughtful, intentional process but it doesn’t have to be. All you have to do is write.
Tips
1) Be Messy – Don’t worry about handwriting, grammar, punctuation, language choice, staying in the lines, spelling etc. The more sloppily and quickly you write, the more authentic your writing will be which will help maximize the usefulness of journaling.
2) Be Honest – Your journal entries are for you and you only unless you choose to share them. This is a place for you to share your deepest thoughts including the ones you are afraid of or embarrassed about. You can shred, burn, or delete journal entries when you are done if you fear them being found. But please, write as honestly as possible in order for journaling to be the most effective. It’s okay to write, “I hate writing this but I think…”
3) Just Start – You don’t have to know what to write about or what you are trying to get out of it, just write. I have many journal entries that start with “I have no idea what to write right now and I really don’t feel like writing at all but here I am…” or “Something feels off and I don’t know what it is so I don’t know where to start…”
4) Follow Your Train of Thought Wherever It Goes – You might start writing about one thing and your brain remembers something else or takes you in a different direction and that is totally okay. This isn’t an essay and it’s not being graded. You don’t have to wrap up any loose ends or have smooth transitions from one topic to another. You can even change the topic mid-sentence. “Yesterday I was visiting my grandma…omg I just remembered what this guy said at the grocery story...”
5) Try Therapeutic Journaling – You can start anywhere when you journal but I recommend that at some point you incorporate your feelings into journaling. Instead of just saying “Yesterday I went to the store…” therapeutic journaling invites you to include how feel, “Yesterday I went to the store and I was so overwhelmed because it had been a long day and I really hate that store.” You can also include physical sensations or feelings in the moment, “as I write this I feel guilty and now my stomach hurts.”