Have you ever thought about journaling but felt like it was out of reach? Like you somehow just hadn’t received the memo on how to become a “journaler.”
If so, stop worrying. We’re here to reassure you there’s no secret society or any special skills needed—you don’t even have to like writing to love journaling! That’s because journaling can be just about anything you want or need it to be. As long as you have paper and pen, you’re set. There are no rules and your journaling practice can take any shape or form you want. In fact, even if you take to the pursuit slowly, know that over time journaling can become a life-changing practice. Your journal can quickly become an essential companion and a steady, supportive presence—one that’s especially vital in these tumultuous times.
Of course, for starters, you’re going to need somewhere to write. A journal can be a pocket-size notebook, an 8 by 10 bound journal, or a digital file on your computer or phone. You can even journal within the Innergy app.
But finding somewhere to write is also the easy part, right? The real challenge comes when you start to think about what to put in that journal. The good news here is that it’s all up to you—you can journal about anything and everything you like. And remember: when it comes to journaling, there are no rules.
While some of you will take that freedom and run with it, for those of you who feel at a loss having such carte blanche, we’ve prepared a journaling “menu” of sorts to help you get started with the practice. Think of it as a quick and easy way to consider your options and see what type of journaling appeals to you the most on any given day. Feel free to browse the menu regularly, choose what sounds good to you, and change up your order as often as you like!
The Menu
Option 1: Use your journal to dream. Dream about where you want to go on vacation. Dream about how you want to celebrate upcoming holidays. Dream about your future career or relationship. Dream about the pet you’d love to adopt. Dream about re-landscaping your yard—or your life! Dream about a new hairstyle or a new recipe. Really, there’s no limit to what you can explore. The only rule here is to have fun! Let your dreams uplift you as you visualize the possibilities transforming your life in beautiful ways.
Option 2: Use your journal as a safe house for the dreams you travel to at night. Most dreams have a logic all their own and can contain some surprising mixtures of people, places, and events. Some dreams can be so extreme that if you try to describe them to people in daylight, they may look at you like you have three heads. Your journal, in contrast, is a place where you can feel comfortable detailing your dreams in whatever shape they take, right down to the talking zebra with purple stripes who also happened to be wearing roller skates.
In your journal, you can document these dreams without feeling the need to censor yourself one bit. One big bonus of taking the time to write down your dreams is that this simple activity also gives you the opportunity to notice a meaningful symbolism from those nighttime thoughts that you might have otherwise missed. Another plus? Journaling also provides the possibility of seeing a pattern in your dreams over time, such as a recurring person, setting, or theme. Both activities can be an essential step in decoding your dreams and finding even deeper meaning where there otherwise seemingly was none.
Option 3: Use your journal to express yourself in whatever form feels right to you. If words seem to bog you down, try sketching or drawing your thoughts, or even writing in your own set of symbols if you prefer. You can try mixing words and drawings together to express what you feel as well. The main goal with this type of journaling is expression, so if you want to branch out beyond putting pen to paper altogether, feel free! Paint. Doodle. Or experiment to see if using an audio tool to record your thoughts allows you more freedom and flow.
Option 4: Use your journal to learn more about your habits and to track your progress. This can be with anything from an exercise program to a digital detox to meditation to nutrition to cleaning the garage. For instance, you could track the meals that you eat each day to become more aware of your food intake and your daily eating habits. Or you could log how many hours you’re in front of a screen—and then get even more specific to record how many hours you’re using different devices, such as TV, Internet, word processing, and so on. You could explore even further to see what your predominant use of the internet is: Are you shopping online? Are you using it for social media? Are you playing games virtually? Are you using the internet to research and learn? This type of self-inquiry will not only help you become more aware of how you’re spending your time on a daily basis, but can also help you notice (and perhaps even modify) these trends over time.
Option 5: Use your journal to make plans. Essentially, you can use your journal to make a to-do list for each day, each week, and each month, allowing yourself to create short-term goals as well as longer-term goals. You can even break it down into to-do lists for different parts of your life; for instance, maybe you have a to-do list of things you need to clean in your living space or your workspace. You might have another to-do list for things you need to purchase, from groceries to birthday gifts to household goods to clothes. You might also have a to-do list for your educational or career goals, your exercise goals, or your meditation goals. Putting all these goals down on paper can help keep them from rattling around inside your head all day long, or all night long for those of you who have trouble sleeping.
Option 6: On that note, if you’re having trouble sleeping, it may be due to unresolved issues in your waking hours. Using your journal to vent can be the perfect way to decompress and let go of some of those stressful emotions that can fester over time. As you journal, feel free to unload your frustrations, your worries, your fears, and your sorrows. Sometimes we also can be kept awake at night by our excitement and what we’re looking forward to. Journaling about what you’re excited about can help get that extra energy out of your system and bring you to a more tranquil, balanced place. (Remember, too, that your journal is always private and for your eyes only—so don’t worry about other people reading what you write, unless you choose to share it with them.)
Option 7: Use your journal to time travel to revisit earlier eras in your life and to collect good memories. So often, we’re looking ahead and bracing ourselves for what’s right around the corner. It can bring tremendous peace and uplift to remember pleasant times in the past, whether it’s the recent past of last month or the distant past of twenty years ago. And you don’t have to limit yourself to momentous occasions; in fact, it can become quite a fun treasure hunt to recall singular moments laughing with friends and enjoying cozy moments with family, or simply instances when you felt expansive, joyful, and free. To bring extra delight with this option, try to involve your five senses as much as you can, describing what you saw, what you heard, and what you felt, along with enjoyable flavors or aromas. Revisiting poignant memories via journaling is a wonderful way to reconnect with the sweetness of life!
Option 8: Use journaling to collect your favorite words of wisdom and humor. Anytime you encounter a phrase or sentence that stops you in your tracks—whether it’s in a book, a movie, a song on the radio, or something else, copy it down along with the person who said it or sang it and where you were when you first heard it. Your personal collection of quotes can serve as a source of inspiration and encouragement. It can also offer an interesting timeline of sorts to look back on to see what topics and opinions were catching your attention at different times in your life.
Option 9: Use your journal to problem-solve and to get creative! Sometimes, we hem ourselves in by letting our thoughts go down the same track over and over. This can leave us with a feeling of being stuck or mired in stressful situations. Give yourself the freedom to branch out. Your journal can be an ideal space to try out wild and wacky ideas that may bring forth just the innovation needed to turn the tide and create an original workaround and a positive outcome. Give yourself the chance to try out these new ideas by creating imaginative scenarios, drafting conversations, sketching prototypes, or whatever is needed to bring your amazing ideas from the imaginary to the realm of the real.
Option 10: Use your journal to bolster your self-esteem. Record compliments that people give you—from a stranger admiring your shoes as you take your morning walk to your boss expressing appreciation for a job well done. Record successes that you’ve had in all walks of your life from early on to more recently—anything from learning how to change a tire to increasing your customer sales to making new friends to forgiving yourself for your mistakes. Your journal is also a great place to list your positive qualities and to come up with affirmations—short phrases that remind you of your inner strength. In short, let your journal remind you to appreciate yourself, respect yourself, and encourage yourself on a regular basis!
Bonus choice: Use your journal as a treasure chest to store the golden moments of each day. Not only has cultivating a practice of gratitude been shown to improve our mood and our health, but paying attention to positivity trains our minds to notice and appreciate the goodness in life. Practicing gratitude also prevents us from going through life on autopilot. When you track your gratitude—just even jotting down three things you’re thankful for each day—you receive a rejuvenating boost from slowing down to pause and appreciate life. As an added bonus, you then have an easy reference to use to look back at your week or your month and remember the glorious sunrise you caught on your way to an early flight, the delicious homemade blueberry muffin your neighbor surprised you with, the new tires you were able to buy on sale, the inspirational international film you watched that changed your view on life, the incredible cello solo you heard in the subway station, and other beautiful moments you might have otherwise bypassed or forgotten.
Putting It All to Work
One of the wonderful things about journaling is your freedom to mix and match your approaches from day to day and week to week. For instance, you might express gratitude, include a quote, and record a dream all in the same journal entry. In other words, you don’t have to stick to ordering just one item from our journaling menu! Your journal is really an open door for you to travel through and roam freely, unburdening your mind and heart, planning out exciting adventures, and giving thanks for the wonders of life. The menu we’ve shared with you is just to get you started and whet your appetite for what’s in store as you travel through life with the trusty companion of your journal by your side. And while there are no rules on how often or how much to write, we wager that you’ll feel increasingly nourished and renewed the more times you put your pen to the page!
