Make Journaling Work For You

By : Mindy Laraoco

Many of us have heard the benefits of journaling, but it can be hard to get started! It can feel overwhelming to feel like you need to sit down for extensive periods of time and record all of your thoughts in order for journaling to be effective. This practice of self-care can be widely beneficial, and I hope to encourage you to think about how to make journaling work for you.

Common myths about journaling

• I need to set aside long periods of time for journaling
• I need to write down everything I’m thinking and feeling 
• I need to be in a specific mindset in order for journaling to be effective
• I need to be a good writer
  

If any of the above has ever crossed your mind, I gently challenge you to try to think differently about journaling. Something important to know is that journaling can be anything you want! While you can take a few hours of reflective time to pour your thoughts and feelings into your journal, 1-2 minutes of writing a few sentences can be just as beneficial in helping you process your emotions and thoughts. The key here is for us to figure out how journaling can work for you.

Here are some prompts that can help to get you started!

Structured prompts

• Gratitude list: This is a great daily practice to get into that does not take much time! At the end of each day, write at least three things that you are grateful for that happened that day. Follow the sentence structure: 

“I am grateful for… because…” 

Example: I am grateful for the weather this morning because the sunrise improved my mood and helped me start my day well. 

Writing about something you are grateful for is a great practice.  Adding “because” to the end of the sentence helps to identify your reasons for feelings of gratitude and adds a helpful little push for reflection..

• Intention setting: Setting an intention for the day (or week) can be a great way to spend time reflecting and does not take too much time. For this exercise, think about an intention you want to set for yourself that you can focus on throughout the day or the week. Some examples are:

• • “Take things slow.” 
  • “Set boundaries” 
  • “Focus on connection with others.” 

Setting intentions can be an excellent way to remind yourself of what you would like your focus to be on during a time when life can pull your attention differently.

Pro tip: Keeping your intention in a place where you can easily see it, such as on a sticky note on your bathroom mirror, can be a great way to remind yourself of it throughout the day/week.

Less structured prompts:

• Brain dumping: Set a timer for anywhere between 1-5 minutes. Once the timer is started, write whatever thoughts and feelings come to mind. Try not to think too hard about this, the idea is to spontaneously follow your thoughts and feelings without trying to make logical connections.
  

Morning pages: Similar to brain dumping, morning pages are done as the name says, in the morning! For this journaling exercise, you will write freely in the morning for as long as you’d like (you can set a timer or pick a number of pages that you would like to write). The intention of this exercise is to help you check in with yourself in the morning and reset your mind as you prepare for the rest of the day.