From my own experience, learning how to journal has been a powerful tool in my self development journey. It’s a practice that allows you to identify what you are feeling, recognise triggers, process and reflect. When my head is filled with thoughts, procrastination, overwhelm, anxiety, stress… journalling is one of the tools I always go to.
How to journal
Journalling is a process of expressing yourself, letting it out and going deep.
Learning how to journal can seem like a daunting thing, but it really doesn’t have to be. It is simply writing down your thoughts, feelings, emotions, events and in some cases, using it as a tool to identify, process and reflect.
- Choose a safe space where you feel comfortable opening up
- Grab a pen (and some colours if you wish) and a notebook (or something you can type on – a phone or laptop)
- Get comfy (you may be there for a while!) and come with an open mind
- Open your notebook and write
Personally, I love to make it a little ritual. I used to do my morning meditation and maybe a yoga session too, make breakfast and a coffee and set myself up for a little journal. Now, I’d adapted my routine as my needs have evolved, and I find writing at the end of the day now better suits me, to help my busy mind before I sleep. You don’t need to follow rules – do what feels good for you.
If you’re not sure what to write, you may wish to use prompts. Alternatively, write what is coming to your mind, even if it is “I don’t know what to write. This is what I did this morning”. The best way to start is to just write and let it flow out of you.
The benefits of journalling
Journalling can help provide you with some well-needed space. You can rage and get everything out of your system. It is a practice that is yours, and stays between you and yourself. Through writing down your thoughts, you are releasing things that are taking up brain space and energy, and giving your unspoken and unfelt feelings a voice.
Learning how to journal can also help you track your moods, if that is something you are struggling with. Amongst other things, you will be able to start piecing together a bigger picture, triggers, and much more. And at the very least, journalling can just be a good old brain dump and help you release some energy.
I have found journalling to be so powerful because it allows me to bring awareness to negative thought patterns and habits that go around in a loop. For many of us, there are thoughts and core beliefs that sit in our subconscious and dictate our moods and behaviours.
Writing out what is going on in your super busy mind, and when you feel like it, exploring these thoughts, enables you to “zoom out” in a way and see them from a fresh perspective. Journalling can also give you insights into your thoughts and behaviours, help you to identify why they keep happening and eventually, change them into new, productive thought patterns and begin to change your related behaviours. It is a great opportunity for reflection.
By bringing awareness to your thoughts, it allows you to:
- break free from the shackles of negative thought cycles
- create new pathways, thoughts and habits
- not let negative thoughts take over or run your life
- take back control
- increase your understanding/awareness
- introduce more compassion
And much more.
What should you be writing when you journal?
If you struggle and cannot think of anything, I would recommend starting by writing down exactly how you feel in the moment and see where it goes.
Describe what you can see, here and feel. Describe what happened in your day, or if there is anything bothering you. Sometimes, the hardest part is starting.
Other times, I personally find doing a yoga class or meditation beforehand can help, as this alone can help bring us into the present moment and become a witness to our thoughts. We can then take pen to paper and write out what came up for us during the activities – was your mind wandering, if so where to? Could you concentrate? If not, why not? Are you resisting sitting in silence Why could that be?
You can also start by using some prompts. There are many different ones you can use, depending on your goals and what you are feeling. You can find many of these on Google and Pinterest.
Journalling in action: How to journal for anxiety
Learning how to journal can be a particularly helpful strategy for anxiety, when you struggle with overwhelming and constant worrying thoughts. You can tailor the journalling process and prompts to help you calm down, and even pair it with some breathing techniques or meditation. You can also use it as a more long-term strategy to help you reflect on your triggers, thoughts, emotions and behaviours.
There are many resources that can help you with anxiety. One of these is to reflect on the truth of the thoughts that you experience, as well as write about the evidence for and against those thoughts, the intensity that you experience your anxiety, track your triggers and monitor any exposures that you choose to complete.
7 Important tips to get started with journalling
#1 Be real and honest with yourself
Write like no one is watching… because they’re not!
If you are a perfectionist like me, when you start learning how to journal you may try to write it in a certain way, as if someone is going to be reading it or marking it.
This is yours and yours only.
Treat it like a safe space to open up and be honest. There is no reason to hold back or hide anything. This might be hard at first, but the more you write, the more you will feel safe and can open up. Don’t write what you think you should be writing, or what other people write, don’t lie to yourself. This is an opportunity to shine the light on things that need shining on.
Take your mask off. Be real, be honest and be authentic.
#2 There is no limit
Don’t hold back. You can write as much or as little as you feel like.
There is no right or wrong, either. Some days you might not have much to say, some days you might have a lot to process and others, you might want to work through something specific.
#3 Don’t stress about it
You may feel stress if you are working through something, this is normal, you are not alone. But try not to allow the process of journalling to stress you out or stay attached to that stress. It is supposed to be a mindful, releasing, freeing practice, not a chore. (Although – if you are really resisting, sometimes it can feel like a chore. It’s important to ask yourself, if the thing you are resisting the most, is the thing you need the most?)
If you are feeling stressed about it, ask yourself why? What is triggering this response?
#4 Start small and simple
If you are lost or stuck with starting, start small. It’s a habit you want to build over time. Try committing to just 5 minutes a day and/or 3 prompts.
#5 Get curious
This is a safe space. Be vulnerable, get curious with yourself, ask questions, explore thoughts and feelings. It’s interesting where it can take you. It can also get uncomfortable, especially if you are processing or working through something. Let it all out and write about it.
- Why is it getting uncomfortable?
- Why is this coming up for you?
- Why is this triggering you?
- How can you show yourself more love in this area?
#6 Let go of expectations
It’s not about writing a certain amount or making it look a certain way, it’s about what you uncover and learn along the way.
#7 Write without judgement
I know I have said it many times throughout this post but journalling really is meant to be a safe space. Part of this means writing and reflecting without bias or judgement. Don’t allow any feelings of shame or guilt, or the voice of your inner critic stop you from enquiring. Allow whatever you need to come out and onto the pages. Of course, those feelings will inevitably come about, so rather than resist or avoid them, write down the feelings you are feeling, what your inner critic is saying or why you are judging yourself. This is the purpose – to identify what is happening and bring more awareness to it. Why is this happening? What can you learn from this? Where can you show yourself more love in this area?
Journalling has been a powerful tool for me, and I hope it can be for you too.
Do you journal? And if so, has it helped you in any way? And if not, what’s stopping you?
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