3 Fun Ways to Make Journaling Work for You
Journaling continues to gain popularity, and rightly so. People are realizing more and more what a great form of self-care, release, and healing the simple act of putting pen to paper can be. Did you know that scientific studies have shown that people who journal regularly tend to heal their emotional, mental, AND even physical ailments quicker?? Whoa.
The proof is in the pudding, as they say.
I believe that one of the reasons why journaling is such an effective activity is because of how personal it can be. It’s like a self-therapy session set up 100% on your terms. You get to control every aspect of it: the notebook, what you write, when you write, where you write, how long you write…
Of course, while all these freedoms are awesome in theory, they can also be paralyzing. As humans, we want direction. It can be much easier to do something when someone tells us the rules.
Well, I’m sorry to say I’m not here to give you any rules - because I don’t believe there should be any rules to journaling. But I AM here to offer you 3 simple ideas that can help your journaling feel more personal and fun.
1.Find YOUR Space
Just because you’ve seen stock photos of people journaling while sitting meditatively in a zen garden doesn’t mean you need to look like that. Your space gets to be entirely on your terms. Maybe you love writing while lounging on a couch wrapped in a blanket. Or sitting at a desk. Or your backyard grass. In bed? In a bathtub?? Play around with this. There’s no right or wrong - only what feels good to you. Revisit your spot every time you open your notebook. What feels good one day might feel completely off the next.
2.View Journaling as Your Playground
Journaling should be fun. A chance in your day to get creative and to let go. Try to approach it with the mindset of a little kid on their way to the playground: Excited to release some steam. Curious and open-minded about what things you’ll find fulfilling today. The slide isn’t the only activity, you know? Just because you wrote 3 perfectly organized pages in your journal yesterday, that doesn’t mean that will suit you today. Play around with what feels good every time you open your notebook. Let your style and form dance with your moods. Give yourself permission to let every page in your journal look different. You’re full of complex moods and preferences that change day to day. Your journaling gets to reflect that.
3.Let Loose
When we write, we tend to fall back to our school-day lessons. Is our spelling correct? Are we forming comprehensible sentences and thoughts? Is our writing legible? Simply put, let that shit go. You’re not in English class. You’re not being graded. Who cares if you’re not using commas correctly. Or if your letters are sloppy. In fact, the less structured and buttoned-up your writing, the more productive and liberating you’ll find your journaling sessions. Money-back guarantee. Get messy. Scribble. Write incomplete sentences. And above all, don’t let yourself go back and edit anything. I’ll say it again for those in the back: YOU’RE NOT BEING GRADED.
This week, your Journal Jolts prompts will all be around exploring these types of ideas, and getting curious with yourself on how to make journaling your playground.
And if you haven’t taken my quiz on finding your perfect writing space, it’s a fun little way to get some ideas.
Happy writing!