A Guide To Journaling

Others that tackle this topic have also stated that the effects of disclosure are best explained by processes that involve both cognitive processing and emotional expression. After traumatic events, it is the positive growth out of feeling negatively about what happened that is important for bodily and mental function for optimal health.

So, according to these models, the adjustment to stressors by opening up expression helps to cope with emotional reactions and balances those with deliberate cognitive work.

It helps you stay accountable and serves as a reminder of what needs to be done. This can look very specific or more broad, but most times, experts advise to be specific and detailed in order to truly identify those goals.

Imagine this practice as a form of self-care and growth and the confidence that can come with. People also like to journal to see their progress on certain topics. Great progress immediately equals a serious confidence boost. 

Journaling or diary writing also improves writing and communication skills. Self-care practice comes in all shapes and sizes, this is just another positive that comes out of journaling every day.

Communication skills are an essential part of life. Finding ways to enhance that skillset truly adds to the reason why something like journaling exists. 

Along with the topic of achieving goals and keeping track of them, journaling adds to the creative process of huge ideas that require notes of inspiration.

Leonardo da Vinci drew beautiful invention ideas into his journals along with whatever he wrote during that time. The art and notes were his way of brainstorming and letting his imagination run wild. This is a particularly good example when we speak of why people would journal. 

In terms of dealing with stress or a traumatic event in one’s life, journaling keeps track of those moments too. If you be honest in your writing, managing anxiety, PTSD, depression and other triggers. Even though this process of healing and understanding can be difficult, it can be relaxing and de-stressing overall.

Coping with traumas by connecting with them in a new light is a significant reason why people opt for journaling more times than not. It is personal that does not require speaking to others about their stress or problems.

Keeping a journal that you wrote in can be just as significant as actually writing in it! The memories that exist within writing and art is something truly irreplaceable.

You can leave behind a written legacy of your life that friends and family can read in the future. They can better understand you and your thoughts when that time comes. Perhaps whatever you had wrote about on sensitive, serious subjects can help other loved ones in that future, too. 

You can organize and save each document according to dates or topics as well, which sometimes in a book you don’t have the ability to do. Here is a list of apps for digital journaling: 

• Day One for Mac and iOS users 
• Diarium for Windows users 
• Penzu for secure journaling 
• Grid Diary for templated journaling 
• Five Minute Journal for beginners 
• Daylio for non-writers

Voice memos is another version of this that just does not include facing a camera. It is also common, before cell phones and computers, for people to use tap recorders or devices that record voices and sounds into the product.

Now, this idea is still alive just with a twist of using your cell phone or other portable device. It allows for easy thought spilling that takes less effort compared to writing. Writing can be draining for some people, so having video diaries or voice diaries is another great option that even brings together a more personal thought of hearing voices.

Sometimes the act of finding scraps of magazines, books, quotes, etc. that represent your feelings and thoughts for the day can really go a long way. It all still counts for expression and helping the mind relive itself of any distress or clouded thinking.

Once again, physically seeing your thoughts in an aesthetic way that is more than just words is a great option for many. You can purchase scrapbooks at any arts and crafts store. Any large book with blank pages offer a beautiful, open place for imagination.

Physically, maybe you are sick or injured and writing is not possible anymore. In this book, the main character Morrie is sick with ALS. The book is narrated by Mitch, as it’s a memoir, about a series of visits he makes to Morrie and he documents each visit, writing things down that Morrie says and teaches him.

When Morrie passes, it is those journal entries that carry on his legacy and intelligence. Having someone like Mitch to write for you is always an option.

Maybe you need a few cups of coffee before starting such a focusing task. Maybe documenting moment by moment of your day is better than just spewing thoughts on a page. It all depends on the individual meaning behind each journal entry.

Therefore, choose which time of day you prefer. Morning pages  or Night pages? It’s up to you. Even mixing it up is a great way to get started and see which you prefer.

The energy of a whole group all trying to do the same thing individually is one of the best tips experts have. Even without a set group or challenge to follow, setting your own goals for the week or month regarding writing and journaling is possible. This is where the trait of good discipline comes from with these types of tasks.

Along this topic, it is significant for continual progress to make small goals and keep expectations realistic. If you have never journaled in your life, expecting to write every day at the same time with perfect effort is not very realistic.

Your purpose can be to deal and manage grief and produce a good healing process. Your purpose can be to relieve yourself of nagging thoughts and decrease internalized stress. Everyone is special with this and outlining a singular purpose to always look back on is proven to be a great start to journaling.

Knowing your purpose can also tell you when it's best to journal. For example, if your purpose is to release nagging thoughts that exist in your head throughout the daytime, journaling at night may be a great option. This is because you can then transfer those thoughts out of your head before bed so they escape that trapped feeling deep inside the brain and heart.

Do not worry if your thoughts are sporadic through a few mediums, the best thing is that you are journaling in some form. Of course, the best version of this is to find one medium that suits your needs right. Consistency is easier when there is organization.

Similar to finding the best time of day to write or journal, finding the best location can make or break this new habit.

Some people thrive in possible loud, crowded settings like coffee shops or parks. Others need absolute privacy and quiet, so their bedroom or secluded areas in public.

To start off, think of journaling as the most secure, private version of yourself. Connect to the privacy of having a space for just you and no one else. Even though we can think of family members reading old journals when we are gone, this thought lingering as we start the habit of expression can get in the way of honesty.

The goal is always to be honest with the pages or screen ahead of us. When you write in hope (or fear) that others will read your words, it becomes harder to write truthfully and express your real emotions.

Experts like to analyze an individual’s experiences and guide from there. Topics like breakups, the loss of a loved one, or serious change in life exhibit secure ideas to start with.

Breakups for example can cause emotional and mental instability that leaves people feeling lost and hurt for weeks, months or even years. From teenage heartbreak to divorce or long-distance struggles, any serious change involving two people is cause for journaling those feelings out.

These monumental moments can be positive and experts advise that writing about positive things is a wonderful exercise for mental health and adjustments. Think of it like a family photo album for their yearly summer vacations. Each book of pictures is designed for each experience, and when they go back to look at those memories, everything is divided chronologically.

Therefore, topics like these can be their own entire reason to journal to keep track of new things that happen, or, to move on from a past experience and put the book away when the time is right and well. 

Topics for goals can include long term and short term ideas. Let’s say you are attempting to get into a university or college and there are steps to take to make it there. Those steps like sharpening up your resume or experiences, reaching high grades and GPA score and taking the best courses for preparation are what journaling is for: keeping track of them so you actually achieve them.

Nobody wants to sit down and write: “I did absolutely nothing to move closer to the achievement of my goals today.” 

You can start by simply writing down what you remember from your dreams. As you go along, you can start to analyze what your dreams mean. It is a very reflective piece of writing, too, because of the analyzation that comes with each entry.

This habit also improves memory since the second you wake up, that dream starts to fade, and there is a small window of time where you can remember those important details. Your brain works hard on having those memories, which is a good challenge to have mentally.

If it is easier, you can also draw your dreams. Describing those events from a dream or nightmare is not easy through words, but picturing it again can be. Visual people advance with this technique, so try both and see what works best.

Finally, look for patterns in these entries. They will tell you more than you think, which is something therapy does as well.