A lot of people, myself included, will stress the importance and positive benefits of journaling. I’m sure a lot of you are tired of hearing that advice, “You should journal.” We know, we know, it’s beneficial for mental health and all that jazz, but it can seem… well… boring. It’s hard to get motivated to do, much like going to the gym. I’m pretty sure no one has ever regretted going to the gym once they’re there, but it’s hard to get started. I think the same could be said for journaling.
What about journaling don’t you like?
What’s keeping you from journaling?
If you started journaling, why/when did you stop and what made you stop?
What’s standing in your way now?
What makes journaling not work for you?
Journaling can be as frequent or as infrequent as you want. There aren’t any rules when it comes to journaling. It’s for you and no one else, so it can look and feel however you like. You can use prompts (email me for journal prompts), do bullet journaling, doodle/draw/paint, write in a physical journal, write in a digital format on your phone, tablet, or computer, have a video journal if you don’t like writing but like talking, use a calendar, write poems, make collages, build a playlist or pick a song that summarizes the day- the only limitations are your imagination.
If journaling is something you’ve been meaning to get to, what form of journaling is appealing? What about it sounds nice?
How often would you like to journal? When would you like to do it in your daily routine?
What benefits do you think you’ll experience by journaling?
What do you need to keep up the habit or ritual?
How will you know if journaling is helping or not? How long are you willing to try until you know for sure? Why that length of time?
What’s important about journaling?
Much like going to the gym, stamina may take time to build. You may not have the stamina to journal as much as you want to at first. There could be some build to it. Perhaps starting once a week and then build up frequency? Perhaps starting with a different daily frequency? Maybe it’s sitting at your chosen journal medium for 5 minutes, then slowly build up the time?
Think about what you would need to start a successful journaling journey. What’s standing in your way from starting, and how will you remember to stick to it? It’s never too late to start something new. What do you have to lose by trying?
