Getting Started

You've probably read by now the myriad benefits of journaling. It lays out your thoughts, provides a record of your life, reminds you of happy and fulfilling times, and reminds you of who and what to be grateful for.

If you haven't journaled before, you may be a little lost as to how to approach it. The good news is that when it comes to journaling, there are no rules!

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Your journal is for you, and only for you to write in, read, work out, and enjoy. It can be your standby, your mark of stability, your daily reminder of your life as a greater whole.

What Are the Benefits of Journaling?

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Journaling has been proven to have tremendous benefits for emotions, creativity, and mental health. C.M. Smith on Lifehack.org states that journaling "can help you get out of the way of what you truly feel on the inside." 

Journaling can be a cathartic way to hash out whatever is bothering you, occupying you, or exciting you at the moment. You could even come to a breakthrough as a result of just seeing your thoughts out on paper. 

For me personally, the above is a major factor in my journaling, as well as reminiscing about good times, funny moments, and what keeps me grounded. You'll find yourself calmed, eased, and even elated by remembering the good things in your life through writing about them.

Getting Your Journal and Formatting

Anything sturdy, accessible, and appealing to your personal style will be great for journaling. Spiral notebooks will let you tear out a page, while hardcover notebooks will protect your pages and their binding. Bullet journals will challenge you to draw pictures and vary your format in addition, while blank ones will do the same as well as encourage sketching what you see in your life. In addition, your journal entries can be in lists, charts, mindmaps, etc. alongside your written passages and poems.

Some colourful notebook options from Ardene

(Click the photo for my favourite journal prompts!)

Tools

Pencils and erasers will erase mistakes. Coloured pens are great for making your words stand out and encouraging your sense of colour and imagination. Something to look out for is how your writing tools will work with your pages, as permanent pens and other markers can bleed through the paper, so be sure to test your supplies together.

Papermate Flair Pens, this writer's personal favourite (Amazon.ca)

Other Tips

• Be honest. That can be difficult, even if you are just writing to yourself, but it is worth making that connection in writing for yourself and no one else.
• Use it to hold yourself accountable. If you have worries, owe someone money, or have fears about something, use journaling to get these down on paper so they don't overwhelm your mind.
• Have fun! Use funky colours, list silly things that make you laugh, record the "little things" that make you smile.

Where to Buy

Journaling never needs to be expensive, so be sure to look in stationery sections of stores, especially during the back-to-school season, for great deals. Dollar stores are also excellent for great prices for supplies, especially with brand name products. Online sites like Amazon will offer occasional deals on supplies and multi-packs as well, and even stores that don't spcialize in stationery could have supplies on clearance.

Have Fun, and Happy Journaling!

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Copyright © Chynna Moore 2021