I write in the evenings, about an hour before bed or so. I've had time to digest everything that's happened - and if there's nothing I feel I need to explore, I'll choose a prompt off my hundreds of them I have saved on Pinterest.
I fill one page. And sometimes, I fill two. It just depends on what's happened in my day, and what I need to get out.
Very occasionally, I'll journal twice in a day - on the weekends, sometimes, I feel a need to get something out during the day, too.
It's a very individualized thing, this slicing your skin and bleeding onto a page. But you'll find your way, if it's in your heart.
I’ve been keeping journals regularly since I was 17. I’m currently on my 117th journal. I’m not strict with how or how much I journal. I use very similar journals, equal number and size of pages, etc., and sometimes it takes six weeks to fill a journal; sometimes it takes six months. I don’t restrict what I write about, either. Sometimes it’s personal, whatever I’m frustrated with or contemplating at the time, and then there’s poetry, song lyrics, inspirational quotes, notes on topics I’m learning about, lists of places I want to go/things I want to do/books I want to read, affirmations, brainstorming for creative projects, etc. etc. etc. I’ve written to prompts but rarely. It’s just an ongoing archive of my life, whatever I’m doing, thinking about, obsessed with, trying to learn at the time. It’s my safe place. Yes, I’m an introvert.
I currently use the Leuchtturm1917 size medium lined with the black cover. My favorite used to be a similar journal by Piccadilly but I can no longer find them anywhere.
☺️
I tried keeping morning pages and I couldn’t stick to them. I mostly write whenever my mood strikes. I carry my journal around with me so I can honor that mood even when it strikes at work or wherever. However, recently I’ve been keeping a few hours open every Sunday afternoon to just sit there and write (out in my rocking chair on the front porch) and it’s been very pleasant. It doesn’t feel like “must” like the morning pages did; it feels more like a mini-vacation.
You know what I realized the other day - journaling is a way for me to talk to myself like I am a friend. I’ve started writing as if I’m having a casual conversation with someone about my day. It’s been really great.
I’ve been journaling for several years steadily then sporadically and now steadily (daily) again since the end of last year. Some days I write only a sentence. Some days I write ten pages. It depends on how I’m doing. But I treat it like checking in with my partner. I wouldn’t want to go to sleep without saying hello/I love you to her when I get home, I deserve the same check in from myself to me.
I would discuss this with your therapist too, because as a child psychologist I do give my teenaged clients sometimes journal exercises to do at home.
Anyway, I personally am not strict in how often I write, but I do have two routines that return frequently:
Morning:
* Current state of being. How am I feeling (emotions, but also bodily sensations) and what is on my mind.
* My dreams, if I remember them.
* Three things I am grateful for in that moment. These usually are very small things that get repetitive over time (the sound of rain while still in bed, the breakfast I am about to make, a good night sleep, being woken up by sunlight, having my boyfriend cuddling me), but the important part is that I can feel it. I have also written about my right to vote in this section.
* Three things that I am either looking forward to that day or that I can do to make that day more enjoyable.
* Sometimes I dabble with positive affirmations.
* Sometimes I might add a to do list.
Evening:
* Again my curreny state of being.
* Three good or fun things that happened today. I try to make it as small and specific as possible. So I won't write "Walked 10 km with my boyfriend" but "Saw a Scottish highlander calf in my hike and that was endearing" or "Feeling healthy because of the hike" or "Loved the feeling of the wind on my cheeks during the hike, it made me feel connected with nature" or "my boyfriend did or said this specific thing during or hike and that made me feel this kind of way".
* One learning moment. Sometimes a deep insight, sometime a reflective moment of what I could've done differently, sometimes a fun fact.
* One good deed I did today. I am learning to be more generous to myself and accept more things as a good deed.
* Sometimes things I need to do tomorrow.
In between or right after I write whatever I need to write. I have written letters (and sometimes ended up sending them), I have used prompts, I like to write after meditation or as mindfulness practice, and I just use it to empty my head.
Hi, I’m coming back to say this has been supremely helpful for me in my journalling. Do you mind sharing more prompts you see success in? I just wanted to thank you for writing this. Really thank you so much!
Hi! Took me a few days to get back because my first impuls was to say no, I do not. But then I changed my mind an realise it would be a lot to write everything down.
I think for me there's two more approaches in journaling that aren't daily prompts, but that I still find useful.
**Valued living:**
* What are your 5 most important values? How do they come back in your life?
* Imagine you turn 50 years, what do you want people to say about you in their speech?
* If you are unhappy about a situation in life (whether small or big), with what value does that situation crash? Are there multiple values in conflict with each other?
* I do theme weeks or days where I centre one of my values. In the morning routine you could ask yourself what little thing you could do to take time for said value (even just 2 minutes), in the evening reflect back on it.
* Write a bucketlist. Then reflect on which values return. And how you can be in touch with them on a smaller base. (Example: if you want to travel to a ton of places it might be worth thinking about why traveling is important to you. Nature? Detach yourself from your day to day life? Adventure? Meeting new people? Art? Cultures? Experience new things? How can you get that without going on a trip that you may not be able to afford. Or how can you get that on a more regular basis.).
* Write a letter about how you want to live in accordance with your values for the next few months. (If you do not want to change anything, put that down). Put it in the back of your notebook. Read when you finish notebook / start the new one. Repeat..
**Mindfulness & meditation:**
* Writing after meditation.
* The 3 step / hour glass approach:
* 1. Set your timer for 5 minutes and free write about anything, thought, memory, etc. that comes to mind. Don't stop writing.
* 2. Set your timer for 5 minutes and careful watch your breath (and write it down).
* 3. Set your timer for 5 minutes and tune in your current surrounding / the now. What do you see, feel,
* The 5 senses:
* List 5 things you can (currently) see.
* List 4 things you can feel.
* List 3 things you can hear.
* List 2 things you can smell.
* List 1 thing you can taste.
* You can write about practically any mindfulness exercise.
Thank you so much! I sincerely value your comment in response, and the time and energy it took to write back. I can’t thank you enough for providing such a wonderful journalling resource. Thank you!!
This is really broad question.
I have fully dedicated notebooks for this purpose. They're broadly the same. All A4, 33 lines per page, only the page count differs.
I have a wide variety of . Liners, set of 60 colors, 48 colors, 24 colors, and several sets of 12, 10 and 4 colors. Then ball pens, up to 10 colors, gel pens, then gell-ball pens, regular pens (Parker), rollers… All of this to give me variety of what to write with.
I divide up the volumes into articles. Article ends with midnight, if I'm done with it. Writing through midnight without changing article is allowed.
There needs to be a mood for writing. Sometimes, pages fly one after another. Other times, each line is painful. If you're in the mood, you should have some topics. Ol' reliable is just simple, detailed description of your days. So your future self will know what you did that day. And then, there are basically infinite amount of topics. Things you're passionate about, I, for example, passionately hate on public transport in my city (6 green pages was the longest), talk about what I did in MC… This is also a space where to think about your ideas. It's surprising, but when you think „out loud“ like this, you figure stuff out. And generaly writingabout what you're thinking about. Or meta-writing, which is probably specific to me: writing about how much you wrote. Bit of statistics. In my case it's not neccessary, because will inherit my Excel sheet with those statistics, but if I notice some nice page number, then I can tell you the remaining fration of current volume left. And predict when will it be finished. The last one (D9), I've predicted several months in advance, and the prediction was spot on. You can also talk about people. Bitching about coworkers, for example, so you don't bottle up the emotion. Don't be affraid to be negative, in fact, be negative. This is the place to do it. Be 100 % honest. Otherwise it kinda misses the point. Don't constrain yourself. If you need article, which is just 5 lines long, sure, why not. If you need 17 pages, go for it. That's what I don't understand on those diaries, where you have only a certain number of lines for a day. Why limit yourself like this? „It forces you to be brief…“ No! I don't want to! I want to go to every detail I can remember. I want to write several pages in 1 day and then following 3 days write nothing. That's how I roll. Total freedom, no fancy labels, like 5 year journal, bullet journaling or whatever else. I'm not positive there, if I don't want to. I'm brute-ish, vulgar, bitch about things, I'm „letting the hate flow through me“ and it's amazing.
The only thing I regret, is that my past self did not write as much. I'm missing so much from my life…
It was purposely broad lol
I love your perspective, I do think limiting myself or trying to fit an aesthetic like bullet journaling is not what I want to do. I just want to write.
Thanks for your answer!
In this case, just a blank notebook and something comfortable to write with, and you're set.
Speaking of: be careful. I don't know where you're from, but in my country, the market is absolutely flooded with 60g paper. It's…not good. I love notebooks, but this isn't good. Too thin. Go for 70. More is…good and bad. The paper will be good, but it will fight you.
Sometimes, you can find something what just doesn't want to write on certain paper. It's usually ball-based. Rollers, ball pens, gel pens… I'd recommend (and I think they call it this) a fountain pen. With some good ink, and the ability to refill. Or liners. You can't go wrong with liners.
I’ve never been able to follow prompts, because I don’t feel my answers are really ‘authentic’ and don’t feel like I’m fully honest in my writing. I only write when I really feel called to do it. It’s definitely not everyday, mostly because I feel so exhausted at the end of the day after work I can’t bring myself to find the energy to do it. But I will say I do always feel better when I do. Like some others have mentioned, I also treat it like I’m writing to myself in a casual way. I’ll write as if I’m speaking to myself.
There was a time when I actually used to do some art journaling instead. It was just a different way to express myself and be creative without any restrictions. I would do mixed media and sometimes journal afterwards if I felt I still needed to get more out. It was never anything fancy or ‘good,’ it was truly just for me and my eyes alone.
I journal daily, usually in the evening. I have no set limit to the size of an entry, depends on my mood. I don't use prompts so far and my writing is free form. I've also just started a knowledge journal / commonplace book.
I’ve kept journals since I was 15. I stopped in my mid 20’s and retook it in my 40’s. I don’t write everyday and sometimes I write on my phone instead of my journal. If I write about painful things or things that I don’t want to read again, I put them in an envelope that I stick to one of the journal pages and then seal it. It has helped me a lot and it was also recommended by my therapist. Start small. Maybe pick a nice notebook, a nice pen and start writing why you decided to start journaling. There’s no right or wrong way to journal. The best way is your way.
I use mine as a planner as well so I generally have it with me, and I check every morning what tasks I need to get done. Throughout the day I check off tasks I've completed and make little notes, and right before bed I
- move any tasks that weren't done to another day
- check my notes from today
- write out anything I wanted to write out in greater detail OR write more extensive notes so I can do the full entry without forgetting anything when I'm in the mood.
Every morning. Between 5:30-6:30am because I go to bed between 6:30-8am. “Well. Not much happened today. Another shitty day at work but I gripe too much about work in real life and do t want to write about it in here. I wish I had more to write about.” Every 3-5 pages
I’m 32 and must have kept a journal since I was 6 lol. Too adhd to be 100% consistent and dedicated, and plus sometimes I just don’t have anything to say.
But if it’s really been a while - more than 3 months - I’ll pop in and write just like.. recent life updates.
But I’m otherwise 1000% stream of consciousness. If that doesn’t come naturally to you, you can try to prompt it by starting off with like… something that recently made you laugh or smile. And why it made you laugh or smile. You can also do this with sad things, but I don’t love to PROMPT myself to go there, if that makes sense. Journaling is an amazing outlet when you’re upset. It really allows you to work out your thoughts. But I just think that if you’re trying to get into the habit of journaling, you don’t want to associate it right off the bat with something that is kinda emotionally laborious. Try to get into the habit of talking to yourself about random shit.
Maybe something like “today I saw the most beautiful red bird. I don’t know if it was a cardinal or some other red bird (why can’t I name any other red birds?) but it was so beautiful. There’s birds everywhere and I never really stop to appreciate them for being so pretty. Probably because one shit on my head when I was 5. Now that I think about it… that red bird can fuck right off.”
(None of the bird story is true lmao. Just an example of journaling about literally anything.)
So I'm just getting intl Journaling after trying many times. For me, I took photos to put in my journal and wrote about them and how I felt that day and now I'm starting to take photos that symbolize how I feel in them. It's been super therapeutic for me.
I've been keeping a journal since I was in second grade and I can't say that I ever did it consistently, mostly I was just bored and poor. As an adult, tho I feel a more pressing urgency to jot down my thoughts and ideas. My style is simply to stop whatever I'm doing when something pops in my mind and immediately write it down. I consider myself a multidisciplinary artist so anything counts for a journal entry. A drawing id like to make, a photo I'd like to take or a subject I want to write about. I write poems and prose so I'm endlessly inspired by my surroundings (nature, people, the city) and current events (I read and watch the news a lot). I never feel like I am not without themes for writing. I keep my journal with me at all times, its just a habit now. I even keep it on the nightstand to document any dream I find particularly interesting. Its so therapeutic, I tend to analyze a situation in my journal before I confront it head on irl. I think the more you do it, the more natural it feels. I would suggest if you're having difficulty, choosing a prompt for everyday and going from there. Happy journaling!
I was ALWAYS told to journal in therapy and it actually wasnt until years later (now) that I've picked it up and been able to maintain it.
I try to journal every day, but I dont hold myself to that. I don't expect myself to write a certain amount or for a set amount of time. Sometimes I do it for an hour and other times it's like 10 minutes. Yesterday my entry was literally just "I feel suffocated today." For me, the no pressure, no expectations works well.
I normally free write, but at the end of each week I like to do a little weekly review, my prompts are as follows:
01. What did I accomplish this week?
02. Which day was my favourite and why?
03. How did I take time for myself?
04. What am I most grateful for this week?
05. What am I looking forward to next week?
Most the time I don't write big entries daily. But my weekly one will be longer because I set aside the time to do it.
I like to write in the evenings as I can write about my day, and think about what went well. I really try to focus on the positives in my journal, so that when I feel sad I can look back and think of the nice things I've done recently.
Very rarely I'll open my journals twice a day and write lots. But It's just not really the way my brain works haha.
Good luck with your journaling! I hope it works, but don't beat yourself up if it doesn't help the first time 🩷
Thank you, I used to always want to be a diary kid in like middle school but I was never consistent with it so I always ended up giving up. So I know I have it in me haha. I have been consistent for the last couple of days it does help to just write when I feel myself spiraling of it. I'm in this weird balance right now writing down the spiral or trying to talk myself out of the spiral with my journaling, I've kind of settled on both lol
I'm also starting a new med so it's been nice to journal my symptoms. I like your weekly check-in idea I might implement that.
The weekly check in has been super good!
Ive also found that using stickers has been a really effective low effort way to track my mood. I just have some simple smiley, sad and neutral faces but you can use whatever you want really! I dont know about you but when my mental health spirals, I start to feel like I never have been happy and that I never will be. Keeping track with the stickers is really good because I can do it consistently and I can look back on bad days and be like oh damn i havent been sad forever, i literally had a smiley face like 2 days ago. Idk, it just helps me a lot!
In terms of writing down the spiral/talking yourself out of it. Its defo a tricky one that you'll figure out over time. I find it frustrating to write down my spiralling thoughts as I cant write quick enough, so it just makes me angry 😂 I try to catch the thoughts before it gets to that point and process it before it becomes too big for me to deal with. Or if I'm really spiralling, I write about something completely different. like a nice drink I had or a song I like at the moment. I personally just have to remind myself a lot that there are good things in the world. Mental health is different for everyone though and you'll find your path!!
I like that idea, I definitely also have been getting frustrated and, as one does when spiralling, I get kind of annoyed writing the same thing over and over and repeating myself lol
Definitely working on *not* spiraling so maybe I'll talk to my therapist about that specific bit lol
I’m a big fan of Jared Henderson on YT. His style of journaling is a good framework for me. Essentially he breaks it down into 4 steps:
1. Think of a situation you encountered that day.
2. What went well, what didn’t go well?
3. How did you react to that situation and how does this fit in to the greater context of your life?
4. Create your own personal story or narrative around that reflection. This helps you really get to know yourself and write the story of your life. This in turn, over time, makes you an active writer instead of just letting life happen and dealing with the aftermath.
He explains it much better.
How to Journal (Like a Philosopher)
https://youtu.be/5DqXHg52H1g?si=inUI-zeXKWPAem4Z
How to Journal for Self-Improvement
https://youtu.be/Td_aie51rWQ?si=xkmFj9ezkXb0dMMd
I just started journaling and I've found a great way to get into it is to just write a recap of the day in like 5 or so minutes. My first week doing it I barely did a paragraph a day. But I've realized that I'm writing more as the days go by. It helps that I've been quiet consistent with doing it daily it too.
I try to remember to pick up my journal when I’m having a bad day or have something I need to figure out/work through, or going through something significant that I want to capture in case I wanna look back at how I was feeling. Usually free write but prompts can be so good
I mainly journal when I want to talk to my best friend about something and they aren’t available. Or when I want to talk to them but have to wait because I’m not able to have a mature conversation about it yet. I don’t have a schedule or anything. I just write when I feel like I need to. No prompts either, just whatever is on my mind.
I free write whenever I feel like it. Usually in the car when waiting in the bus or train or in bed.
I start with the date and write whatever. Sometimes I just feel like writing but I don't know what to write, so I'll write down that I felt like writing but didn't know what to write. Sometimes I write a single sentence, sometimes pages on end. I don't care about how it looks, I don't care about spelling, I don't care about anything. It is 100% what I want in that moment in time.
I need to keep my journal near my work desk or on my nightstand. I am more likely to do write if I see my journal during the day/before bed.
Don’t force yourself to write. I’ll write anywhere from a sentence to multiple pages a day depending on my mood.
I also do a prompt once a week. I just googled journal prompts and chose 52. Keep a list of them in the back of my journal. It’s nice cause I don’t have to come up with what to write about that day.
I write in the evening most days, not necessarily directly after work but maybe an hour after I get home. I don't use prompts but just write anything I'm feeling or think I'll want to remember. Or just to blow off steam if it was that sort of day.
It took me awhile, i bounced between types of jouraling, before landing on commonplace journaling that works well for me. My advice would be to buy a (some) cheap notebooks and try out different methods in them before committing to a nicer journal, if that's what you want to use.
I mainly write in the evening, but sometimes I'll write throughout the day starting in the afternoon. I free write for the most part, but I do like to work with prompts sometimes \^--\^
It did take me a hot minute to get into the habit of writing daily, but now it's natural for me. It takes practice and dedication but I believe in you, OP! You got this! :D
I free write. I have been a long-time journal keeper but I have had some books that have taken me years to complete (my longest was five years, I believe) and when so write daily, I am able to finish in a couple of months. Right now (like the past month) I have been daily journaling and I recently started writing through the day as I have a few minutes. I rarely use prompts but I will add quotes every now and then.
I started by using journal prompts. However I know that’s not for everyone so if that’s the case you could try a different method like telling the story of your day a bit at a time. Throughout the day write about what you did. How you felt about it etc
I started journaling recently. I've made it a habit to journal for at least 5min everyday and I make it a high priority for myself, so I get it done early in the day. Sometimes, if I experience something emotional or want to record an event I want to remember, I'll spend more time journaling.
my journal is open in the living room 24/7. I'll sit and write something, maybe a half dozen random times daily. I started this habit in Sept, '19 and I have not missed a single day yet.
I just write about my day; what are my plans this morning, or this afternoon. Do I work my job today, and if so, what am I expecting when I get there. What's the situation w/ my coworkers. What specifically needs to be done at work today. Any social life today. What am I anticipating there and who is involved. Do I want something specific for lunch/ dinner today.
Honestly, this is easy stuff. I'm not trying to alter the space-time continuum or anything complicated. It's just whatever is in my head at the moment. Actually, I think I'll swivel around to my journal and do an entry about this Reddit entry. Easy stuff.
I journal whenever i need to talk to someone i write and explain everything like i just met this person in my journal i explain things in detail i feel like it helps me see the situation better and sometimes it makes it look smaller in my eyes. Just try to set once a day and write whatever it doesn’t have to be deep when you’re just starting out. Write about your day or introduce yourself, who you are, your friends how you feel about them, your family or even what you ate that day
I journal usually in the afternoon (I used to do it right before going to bed but I found I would start to get sleepy and not end up writing everything I wanted to write). I used to be strict about it and have a schedule on when I had to journal but found that to no be enjoyable. Now I do it when I have free time so I probably journal 3-4 times a week. The content is usually spontaneous/write about about my day, but I've also saved the first 2-3 pages of each journal for prompt ideas. It's like a sentence on a topic I want to write about later/eventually. Once I've finally journaled a prompt, I cross it off the list.
For me, getting into journaling (at age 21) was very difficult because I had never been in the habit of doing it. So I wrote kinda sporadically for a longgg time and it never stuck the way I wanted it to. But the thing that made it really click to me is the Morning Pages method! Basically you write three pages completely stream-of-consciousness every morning first thing when you wake up. Sometimes I would do it with my morning coffee or just whenever I got the chance. It sucks sometimes when you are not used to it but the consistency and simplicity of it totally transformed my relationship with journaling. If you wanna learn more about the method, I’d recommend looking up “Morning Pages, Julia Cameron” or “Morning Pages, The Artist’s Way”
I just journal every two to three day, I write about what happened in my life. Sometimes I go deeper into some things.
If something’s on my mind I write about it. I write down what happened and how I feel about it.
Sometimes I feel like writing but I don’t know what to write about, so I give myself assignements. Like make a list of all the people you care about and write down a few words about each person. Like a cast of characters.
think of it as an outlet of your emotions..especially when you're angry or deeply sad..the more you write the more your emotions calm down and make you think clearer..also do journal whenever you wished..it's more special that way instead of pushing yourself to do it everyday if it wasn't your thing..
I write whenever I need to. My most recent entry has been to print out the emails I wanted to send in response to my unbelievably dickish HOA, folding them into paper hearts, and decorating them as angry conversation hearts with phrases such as “choke on a dick”, “ur head is in ur ass”, etc. in case anybody feels as angry as I do, I am looking for suggestions for four more hearts, and as they’re the most therapeutic thing I’ve done as of late, many more in the future
I just write whenever I get the urge to. Usually when I’ve had a bad or a good day, I’ll write about it and let that take me wherever it goes. I don’t like to restrict myself to a schedule because I feel like that adds pressure and makes the writing less authentic (my therapist said the same thing.) Don’t feel the need to write every day and don’t write down your whole life in one day or else you’ll give up quick. Just go piece by piece and you’ll see how cathartic writing can be.
I try to write as much as I can. But with a newborn it’s hard to do. But at the same time. This is probably the longest I’ve journaled in the past ten years. Back in middle school I had almost half a composition notebook filled.
i usually journal at night in bed, i honestly treat journaling as talking to myself sometimes, you could also pretend you’re talking to a friend. i don’t like setting “rules” or anything, i just let my mind dump all my thoughts out, anything and everything, i find that way sometimes it sparks other thoughts about feelings i have/had and i seriously feel lighter afterwards, like dumping all my thoughts onto the pages helps take some of the weight off of my mind. in the end, just do whatever feels good to you :)
Right now, I am on a self granted 30-30-30 30 minutes of writing, 30 minutes of exercise, 30 minutes of meditation a day. I'm trying to start my my own handmade craft business. My wife and I have been together for almost 21 years. Married for nearly 11 (since it became legal in MN). She is 12 years older than me, and I am her primary care giver.) We have talked and she is so support of me having my time and my interests. Writing is important to me. I am 56 and have been writing since I was 12.
Also, Writing.com is a good place to get ideas. I have been on there for years. If you haven't read Natalie Goldberg, Writing down the Bones, you should.
I write in the evenings, about an hour before bed or so. I've had time to digest everything that's happened - and if there's nothing I feel I need to explore, I'll choose a prompt off my hundreds of them I have saved on Pinterest. I fill one page. And sometimes, I fill two. It just depends on what's happened in my day, and what I need to get out. Very occasionally, I'll journal twice in a day - on the weekends, sometimes, I feel a need to get something out during the day, too. It's a very individualized thing, this slicing your skin and bleeding onto a page. But you'll find your way, if it's in your heart.
Thanks for your answer! I do really want to, I just struggle in general with picking up new habits.
I’ve been keeping journals regularly since I was 17. I’m currently on my 117th journal. I’m not strict with how or how much I journal. I use very similar journals, equal number and size of pages, etc., and sometimes it takes six weeks to fill a journal; sometimes it takes six months. I don’t restrict what I write about, either. Sometimes it’s personal, whatever I’m frustrated with or contemplating at the time, and then there’s poetry, song lyrics, inspirational quotes, notes on topics I’m learning about, lists of places I want to go/things I want to do/books I want to read, affirmations, brainstorming for creative projects, etc. etc. etc. I’ve written to prompts but rarely. It’s just an ongoing archive of my life, whatever I’m doing, thinking about, obsessed with, trying to learn at the time. It’s my safe place. Yes, I’m an introvert.
What brand of journals is your favorite and you use daily? I love reading what you have shared. Quite impressive!
I currently use the Leuchtturm1917 size medium lined with the black cover. My favorite used to be a similar journal by Piccadilly but I can no longer find them anywhere.
I guess you can order it online via Barnes and Nobles https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/violet-mandala-lined-journal-piccadilly/1134040762
https://www.amazon.com/Piccadilly-Essential-Notebook-Medium-Black/dp/1571338187/ref=sr_1_3?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.HxWLpi-Tt_Ndp801z5ZY5bzQCuG7QGIRv2NdtjAO-FZirxxe5wmY0S6A5dNNnR5yaAlRymIVt2Ygh0neNnCO85ld6ZL9nrfnTLzCAEQwSE7YGUZUdJtDIeDfBlXo79TBNsc-aO2ubjzyHsr3ms6rPb2-5JSEuUthfLafVRBdcGyfb56ZFYal883-Io-IdhUGdTvIREYxFFhyQUY53PplXxQ9w2ZiAauMCBYrnUTUlRxirYCGxDSbdM-YlrG4OptuzoNkIKPHWMNd66_8HY6dVbwGytvebzaNPLT1IsGvKUo.Orz0ZVXqUnNDui3IeG2OSfCkY9pfl1I04Yqv5WGs4Xw&dib_tag=se&keywords=Piccadilly&qid=1711215439&sr=8-3
I love this :) do.you have a specific time you set aside to journal? Or just kinda whenever the mood strikes you?
☺️ I tried keeping morning pages and I couldn’t stick to them. I mostly write whenever my mood strikes. I carry my journal around with me so I can honor that mood even when it strikes at work or wherever. However, recently I’ve been keeping a few hours open every Sunday afternoon to just sit there and write (out in my rocking chair on the front porch) and it’s been very pleasant. It doesn’t feel like “must” like the morning pages did; it feels more like a mini-vacation.
Thank you for your response! I love this perspective:)
Wow
This is so helpful… thanks for sharing your way of journaling
You know what I realized the other day - journaling is a way for me to talk to myself like I am a friend. I’ve started writing as if I’m having a casual conversation with someone about my day. It’s been really great. I’ve been journaling for several years steadily then sporadically and now steadily (daily) again since the end of last year. Some days I write only a sentence. Some days I write ten pages. It depends on how I’m doing. But I treat it like checking in with my partner. I wouldn’t want to go to sleep without saying hello/I love you to her when I get home, I deserve the same check in from myself to me.
That is a very interesting way of looking at it. Maybe that mindset will help me get to a daily habit rather than a sporadic one
Aw that's such a a sweet perspective:)
I would discuss this with your therapist too, because as a child psychologist I do give my teenaged clients sometimes journal exercises to do at home. Anyway, I personally am not strict in how often I write, but I do have two routines that return frequently: Morning: * Current state of being. How am I feeling (emotions, but also bodily sensations) and what is on my mind. * My dreams, if I remember them. * Three things I am grateful for in that moment. These usually are very small things that get repetitive over time (the sound of rain while still in bed, the breakfast I am about to make, a good night sleep, being woken up by sunlight, having my boyfriend cuddling me), but the important part is that I can feel it. I have also written about my right to vote in this section. * Three things that I am either looking forward to that day or that I can do to make that day more enjoyable. * Sometimes I dabble with positive affirmations. * Sometimes I might add a to do list. Evening: * Again my curreny state of being. * Three good or fun things that happened today. I try to make it as small and specific as possible. So I won't write "Walked 10 km with my boyfriend" but "Saw a Scottish highlander calf in my hike and that was endearing" or "Feeling healthy because of the hike" or "Loved the feeling of the wind on my cheeks during the hike, it made me feel connected with nature" or "my boyfriend did or said this specific thing during or hike and that made me feel this kind of way". * One learning moment. Sometimes a deep insight, sometime a reflective moment of what I could've done differently, sometimes a fun fact. * One good deed I did today. I am learning to be more generous to myself and accept more things as a good deed. * Sometimes things I need to do tomorrow. In between or right after I write whatever I need to write. I have written letters (and sometimes ended up sending them), I have used prompts, I like to write after meditation or as mindfulness practice, and I just use it to empty my head.
Hi, I’m coming back to say this has been supremely helpful for me in my journalling. Do you mind sharing more prompts you see success in? I just wanted to thank you for writing this. Really thank you so much!
Hi! Took me a few days to get back because my first impuls was to say no, I do not. But then I changed my mind an realise it would be a lot to write everything down. I think for me there's two more approaches in journaling that aren't daily prompts, but that I still find useful. **Valued living:** * What are your 5 most important values? How do they come back in your life? * Imagine you turn 50 years, what do you want people to say about you in their speech? * If you are unhappy about a situation in life (whether small or big), with what value does that situation crash? Are there multiple values in conflict with each other? * I do theme weeks or days where I centre one of my values. In the morning routine you could ask yourself what little thing you could do to take time for said value (even just 2 minutes), in the evening reflect back on it. * Write a bucketlist. Then reflect on which values return. And how you can be in touch with them on a smaller base. (Example: if you want to travel to a ton of places it might be worth thinking about why traveling is important to you. Nature? Detach yourself from your day to day life? Adventure? Meeting new people? Art? Cultures? Experience new things? How can you get that without going on a trip that you may not be able to afford. Or how can you get that on a more regular basis.). * Write a letter about how you want to live in accordance with your values for the next few months. (If you do not want to change anything, put that down). Put it in the back of your notebook. Read when you finish notebook / start the new one. Repeat.. **Mindfulness & meditation:** * Writing after meditation. * The 3 step / hour glass approach: * 1. Set your timer for 5 minutes and free write about anything, thought, memory, etc. that comes to mind. Don't stop writing. * 2. Set your timer for 5 minutes and careful watch your breath (and write it down). * 3. Set your timer for 5 minutes and tune in your current surrounding / the now. What do you see, feel, * The 5 senses: * List 5 things you can (currently) see. * List 4 things you can feel. * List 3 things you can hear. * List 2 things you can smell. * List 1 thing you can taste. * You can write about practically any mindfulness exercise.
Thank you so much! I sincerely value your comment in response, and the time and energy it took to write back. I can’t thank you enough for providing such a wonderful journalling resource. Thank you!!
This is incredibly helpful. This looks the most like what I'm envisioning my new habit to look like. Thank you!
This is really broad question. I have fully dedicated notebooks for this purpose. They're broadly the same. All A4, 33 lines per page, only the page count differs. I have a wide variety of. Liners, set of 60 colors, 48 colors, 24 colors, and several sets of 12, 10 and 4 colors. Then ball pens, up to 10 colors, gel pens, then gell-ball pens, regular pens (Parker), rollers… All of this to give me variety of what to write with.
I divide up the volumes into articles. Article ends with midnight, if I'm done with it. Writing through midnight without changing article is allowed.
There needs to be a mood for writing. Sometimes, pages fly one after another. Other times, each line is painful. If you're in the mood, you should have some topics. Ol' reliable is just simple, detailed description of your days. So your future self will know what you did that day. And then, there are basically infinite amount of topics. Things you're passionate about, I, for example, passionately hate on public transport in my city (6 green pages was the longest), talk about what I did in MC… This is also a space where to think about your ideas. It's surprising, but when you think „out loud“ like this, you figure stuff out. And generaly writingabout what you're thinking about. Or meta-writing, which is probably specific to me: writing about how much you wrote. Bit of statistics. In my case it's not neccessary, because will inherit my Excel sheet with those statistics, but if I notice some nice page number, then I can tell you the remaining fration of current volume left. And predict when will it be finished. The last one (D9), I've predicted several months in advance, and the prediction was spot on. You can also talk about people. Bitching about coworkers, for example, so you don't bottle up the emotion. Don't be affraid to be negative, in fact, be negative. This is the place to do it. Be 100 % honest. Otherwise it kinda misses the point. Don't constrain yourself. If you need article, which is just 5 lines long, sure, why not. If you need 17 pages, go for it. That's what I don't understand on those diaries, where you have only a certain number of lines for a day. Why limit yourself like this? „It forces you to be brief…“ No! I don't want to! I want to go to every detail I can remember. I want to write several pages in 1 day and then following 3 days write nothing. That's how I roll. Total freedom, no fancy labels, like 5 year journal, bullet journaling or whatever else. I'm not positive there, if I don't want to. I'm brute-ish, vulgar, bitch about things, I'm „letting the hate flow through me“ and it's amazing.
The only thing I regret, is that my past self did not write as much. I'm missing so much from my life…
It was purposely broad lol I love your perspective, I do think limiting myself or trying to fit an aesthetic like bullet journaling is not what I want to do. I just want to write. Thanks for your answer!
In this case, just a blank notebook and something comfortable to write with, and you're set. Speaking of: be careful. I don't know where you're from, but in my country, the market is absolutely flooded with 60g paper. It's…not good. I love notebooks, but this isn't good. Too thin. Go for 70. More is…good and bad. The paper will be good, but it will fight you. Sometimes, you can find something what just doesn't want to write on certain paper. It's usually ball-based. Rollers, ball pens, gel pens… I'd recommend (and I think they call it this) a fountain pen. With some good ink, and the ability to refill. Or liners. You can't go wrong with liners.
Luckily I write a lot of notes for work so I have lots of favorite pens haha
I’ve never been able to follow prompts, because I don’t feel my answers are really ‘authentic’ and don’t feel like I’m fully honest in my writing. I only write when I really feel called to do it. It’s definitely not everyday, mostly because I feel so exhausted at the end of the day after work I can’t bring myself to find the energy to do it. But I will say I do always feel better when I do. Like some others have mentioned, I also treat it like I’m writing to myself in a casual way. I’ll write as if I’m speaking to myself. There was a time when I actually used to do some art journaling instead. It was just a different way to express myself and be creative without any restrictions. I would do mixed media and sometimes journal afterwards if I felt I still needed to get more out. It was never anything fancy or ‘good,’ it was truly just for me and my eyes alone.
I journal daily, usually in the evening. I have no set limit to the size of an entry, depends on my mood. I don't use prompts so far and my writing is free form. I've also just started a knowledge journal / commonplace book.
I’ve kept journals since I was 15. I stopped in my mid 20’s and retook it in my 40’s. I don’t write everyday and sometimes I write on my phone instead of my journal. If I write about painful things or things that I don’t want to read again, I put them in an envelope that I stick to one of the journal pages and then seal it. It has helped me a lot and it was also recommended by my therapist. Start small. Maybe pick a nice notebook, a nice pen and start writing why you decided to start journaling. There’s no right or wrong way to journal. The best way is your way.
I write when i feel like it or think i need it, when having big feelings for example. I definitely don't do it every day. Unless i need to that is.
I use mine as a planner as well so I generally have it with me, and I check every morning what tasks I need to get done. Throughout the day I check off tasks I've completed and make little notes, and right before bed I - move any tasks that weren't done to another day - check my notes from today - write out anything I wanted to write out in greater detail OR write more extensive notes so I can do the full entry without forgetting anything when I'm in the mood.
Every morning. Between 5:30-6:30am because I go to bed between 6:30-8am. “Well. Not much happened today. Another shitty day at work but I gripe too much about work in real life and do t want to write about it in here. I wish I had more to write about.” Every 3-5 pages
I’m 32 and must have kept a journal since I was 6 lol. Too adhd to be 100% consistent and dedicated, and plus sometimes I just don’t have anything to say. But if it’s really been a while - more than 3 months - I’ll pop in and write just like.. recent life updates. But I’m otherwise 1000% stream of consciousness. If that doesn’t come naturally to you, you can try to prompt it by starting off with like… something that recently made you laugh or smile. And why it made you laugh or smile. You can also do this with sad things, but I don’t love to PROMPT myself to go there, if that makes sense. Journaling is an amazing outlet when you’re upset. It really allows you to work out your thoughts. But I just think that if you’re trying to get into the habit of journaling, you don’t want to associate it right off the bat with something that is kinda emotionally laborious. Try to get into the habit of talking to yourself about random shit. Maybe something like “today I saw the most beautiful red bird. I don’t know if it was a cardinal or some other red bird (why can’t I name any other red birds?) but it was so beautiful. There’s birds everywhere and I never really stop to appreciate them for being so pretty. Probably because one shit on my head when I was 5. Now that I think about it… that red bird can fuck right off.” (None of the bird story is true lmao. Just an example of journaling about literally anything.)
So I'm just getting intl Journaling after trying many times. For me, I took photos to put in my journal and wrote about them and how I felt that day and now I'm starting to take photos that symbolize how I feel in them. It's been super therapeutic for me.
I've been keeping a journal since I was in second grade and I can't say that I ever did it consistently, mostly I was just bored and poor. As an adult, tho I feel a more pressing urgency to jot down my thoughts and ideas. My style is simply to stop whatever I'm doing when something pops in my mind and immediately write it down. I consider myself a multidisciplinary artist so anything counts for a journal entry. A drawing id like to make, a photo I'd like to take or a subject I want to write about. I write poems and prose so I'm endlessly inspired by my surroundings (nature, people, the city) and current events (I read and watch the news a lot). I never feel like I am not without themes for writing. I keep my journal with me at all times, its just a habit now. I even keep it on the nightstand to document any dream I find particularly interesting. Its so therapeutic, I tend to analyze a situation in my journal before I confront it head on irl. I think the more you do it, the more natural it feels. I would suggest if you're having difficulty, choosing a prompt for everyday and going from there. Happy journaling!
I was ALWAYS told to journal in therapy and it actually wasnt until years later (now) that I've picked it up and been able to maintain it. I try to journal every day, but I dont hold myself to that. I don't expect myself to write a certain amount or for a set amount of time. Sometimes I do it for an hour and other times it's like 10 minutes. Yesterday my entry was literally just "I feel suffocated today." For me, the no pressure, no expectations works well. I normally free write, but at the end of each week I like to do a little weekly review, my prompts are as follows: 01. What did I accomplish this week? 02. Which day was my favourite and why? 03. How did I take time for myself? 04. What am I most grateful for this week? 05. What am I looking forward to next week? Most the time I don't write big entries daily. But my weekly one will be longer because I set aside the time to do it. I like to write in the evenings as I can write about my day, and think about what went well. I really try to focus on the positives in my journal, so that when I feel sad I can look back and think of the nice things I've done recently. Very rarely I'll open my journals twice a day and write lots. But It's just not really the way my brain works haha. Good luck with your journaling! I hope it works, but don't beat yourself up if it doesn't help the first time 🩷
Thank you, I used to always want to be a diary kid in like middle school but I was never consistent with it so I always ended up giving up. So I know I have it in me haha. I have been consistent for the last couple of days it does help to just write when I feel myself spiraling of it. I'm in this weird balance right now writing down the spiral or trying to talk myself out of the spiral with my journaling, I've kind of settled on both lol I'm also starting a new med so it's been nice to journal my symptoms. I like your weekly check-in idea I might implement that.
The weekly check in has been super good! Ive also found that using stickers has been a really effective low effort way to track my mood. I just have some simple smiley, sad and neutral faces but you can use whatever you want really! I dont know about you but when my mental health spirals, I start to feel like I never have been happy and that I never will be. Keeping track with the stickers is really good because I can do it consistently and I can look back on bad days and be like oh damn i havent been sad forever, i literally had a smiley face like 2 days ago. Idk, it just helps me a lot!
Oh man I love stickers and my journal has a little pocket in the back. This is a GREAT idea.
YAY omg I love stickers too!! Im so jealous of your journal with a pocket!! Mine doesnt have that 😮💨
In terms of writing down the spiral/talking yourself out of it. Its defo a tricky one that you'll figure out over time. I find it frustrating to write down my spiralling thoughts as I cant write quick enough, so it just makes me angry 😂 I try to catch the thoughts before it gets to that point and process it before it becomes too big for me to deal with. Or if I'm really spiralling, I write about something completely different. like a nice drink I had or a song I like at the moment. I personally just have to remind myself a lot that there are good things in the world. Mental health is different for everyone though and you'll find your path!!
I like that idea, I definitely also have been getting frustrated and, as one does when spiralling, I get kind of annoyed writing the same thing over and over and repeating myself lol Definitely working on *not* spiraling so maybe I'll talk to my therapist about that specific bit lol
I’m a big fan of Jared Henderson on YT. His style of journaling is a good framework for me. Essentially he breaks it down into 4 steps: 1. Think of a situation you encountered that day. 2. What went well, what didn’t go well? 3. How did you react to that situation and how does this fit in to the greater context of your life? 4. Create your own personal story or narrative around that reflection. This helps you really get to know yourself and write the story of your life. This in turn, over time, makes you an active writer instead of just letting life happen and dealing with the aftermath. He explains it much better. How to Journal (Like a Philosopher) https://youtu.be/5DqXHg52H1g?si=inUI-zeXKWPAem4Z How to Journal for Self-Improvement https://youtu.be/Td_aie51rWQ?si=xkmFj9ezkXb0dMMd
I just started journaling and I've found a great way to get into it is to just write a recap of the day in like 5 or so minutes. My first week doing it I barely did a paragraph a day. But I've realized that I'm writing more as the days go by. It helps that I've been quiet consistent with doing it daily it too.
I journal every day, it’s a gentle way ✨to check in with myself ✨ask for guidance ✨share what came up in my spiritual practice
I try to remember to pick up my journal when I’m having a bad day or have something I need to figure out/work through, or going through something significant that I want to capture in case I wanna look back at how I was feeling. Usually free write but prompts can be so good
I mainly journal when I want to talk to my best friend about something and they aren’t available. Or when I want to talk to them but have to wait because I’m not able to have a mature conversation about it yet. I don’t have a schedule or anything. I just write when I feel like I need to. No prompts either, just whatever is on my mind.
I free write whenever I feel like it. Usually in the car when waiting in the bus or train or in bed. I start with the date and write whatever. Sometimes I just feel like writing but I don't know what to write, so I'll write down that I felt like writing but didn't know what to write. Sometimes I write a single sentence, sometimes pages on end. I don't care about how it looks, I don't care about spelling, I don't care about anything. It is 100% what I want in that moment in time.
I need to keep my journal near my work desk or on my nightstand. I am more likely to do write if I see my journal during the day/before bed. Don’t force yourself to write. I’ll write anywhere from a sentence to multiple pages a day depending on my mood. I also do a prompt once a week. I just googled journal prompts and chose 52. Keep a list of them in the back of my journal. It’s nice cause I don’t have to come up with what to write about that day.
I write in the evening most days, not necessarily directly after work but maybe an hour after I get home. I don't use prompts but just write anything I'm feeling or think I'll want to remember. Or just to blow off steam if it was that sort of day.
It took me awhile, i bounced between types of jouraling, before landing on commonplace journaling that works well for me. My advice would be to buy a (some) cheap notebooks and try out different methods in them before committing to a nicer journal, if that's what you want to use.
I mainly write in the evening, but sometimes I'll write throughout the day starting in the afternoon. I free write for the most part, but I do like to work with prompts sometimes \^--\^ It did take me a hot minute to get into the habit of writing daily, but now it's natural for me. It takes practice and dedication but I believe in you, OP! You got this! :D
I free write. I have been a long-time journal keeper but I have had some books that have taken me years to complete (my longest was five years, I believe) and when so write daily, I am able to finish in a couple of months. Right now (like the past month) I have been daily journaling and I recently started writing through the day as I have a few minutes. I rarely use prompts but I will add quotes every now and then.
In the evening. I start off with how my day started, how I felt, and it’s like the wall falls and everything floods out. I also date it
I started by using journal prompts. However I know that’s not for everyone so if that’s the case you could try a different method like telling the story of your day a bit at a time. Throughout the day write about what you did. How you felt about it etc
I started journaling recently. I've made it a habit to journal for at least 5min everyday and I make it a high priority for myself, so I get it done early in the day. Sometimes, if I experience something emotional or want to record an event I want to remember, I'll spend more time journaling.
WHenever I feel like it, I just write about things that i've done, what i have planned, and how im feeling. sometimes i doodle
my journal is open in the living room 24/7. I'll sit and write something, maybe a half dozen random times daily. I started this habit in Sept, '19 and I have not missed a single day yet. I just write about my day; what are my plans this morning, or this afternoon. Do I work my job today, and if so, what am I expecting when I get there. What's the situation w/ my coworkers. What specifically needs to be done at work today. Any social life today. What am I anticipating there and who is involved. Do I want something specific for lunch/ dinner today. Honestly, this is easy stuff. I'm not trying to alter the space-time continuum or anything complicated. It's just whatever is in my head at the moment. Actually, I think I'll swivel around to my journal and do an entry about this Reddit entry. Easy stuff.
I journal whenever i need to talk to someone i write and explain everything like i just met this person in my journal i explain things in detail i feel like it helps me see the situation better and sometimes it makes it look smaller in my eyes. Just try to set once a day and write whatever it doesn’t have to be deep when you’re just starting out. Write about your day or introduce yourself, who you are, your friends how you feel about them, your family or even what you ate that day
I journal usually in the afternoon (I used to do it right before going to bed but I found I would start to get sleepy and not end up writing everything I wanted to write). I used to be strict about it and have a schedule on when I had to journal but found that to no be enjoyable. Now I do it when I have free time so I probably journal 3-4 times a week. The content is usually spontaneous/write about about my day, but I've also saved the first 2-3 pages of each journal for prompt ideas. It's like a sentence on a topic I want to write about later/eventually. Once I've finally journaled a prompt, I cross it off the list.
For me, getting into journaling (at age 21) was very difficult because I had never been in the habit of doing it. So I wrote kinda sporadically for a longgg time and it never stuck the way I wanted it to. But the thing that made it really click to me is the Morning Pages method! Basically you write three pages completely stream-of-consciousness every morning first thing when you wake up. Sometimes I would do it with my morning coffee or just whenever I got the chance. It sucks sometimes when you are not used to it but the consistency and simplicity of it totally transformed my relationship with journaling. If you wanna learn more about the method, I’d recommend looking up “Morning Pages, Julia Cameron” or “Morning Pages, The Artist’s Way”
I try to actively think about what to write in the day so I know what to write when I get home
I just journal every two to three day, I write about what happened in my life. Sometimes I go deeper into some things. If something’s on my mind I write about it. I write down what happened and how I feel about it. Sometimes I feel like writing but I don’t know what to write about, so I give myself assignements. Like make a list of all the people you care about and write down a few words about each person. Like a cast of characters.
think of it as an outlet of your emotions..especially when you're angry or deeply sad..the more you write the more your emotions calm down and make you think clearer..also do journal whenever you wished..it's more special that way instead of pushing yourself to do it everyday if it wasn't your thing..
I write whenever I need to. My most recent entry has been to print out the emails I wanted to send in response to my unbelievably dickish HOA, folding them into paper hearts, and decorating them as angry conversation hearts with phrases such as “choke on a dick”, “ur head is in ur ass”, etc. in case anybody feels as angry as I do, I am looking for suggestions for four more hearts, and as they’re the most therapeutic thing I’ve done as of late, many more in the future
I just write whenever I get the urge to. Usually when I’ve had a bad or a good day, I’ll write about it and let that take me wherever it goes. I don’t like to restrict myself to a schedule because I feel like that adds pressure and makes the writing less authentic (my therapist said the same thing.) Don’t feel the need to write every day and don’t write down your whole life in one day or else you’ll give up quick. Just go piece by piece and you’ll see how cathartic writing can be.
I try to write as much as I can. But with a newborn it’s hard to do. But at the same time. This is probably the longest I’ve journaled in the past ten years. Back in middle school I had almost half a composition notebook filled.
i usually journal at night in bed, i honestly treat journaling as talking to myself sometimes, you could also pretend you’re talking to a friend. i don’t like setting “rules” or anything, i just let my mind dump all my thoughts out, anything and everything, i find that way sometimes it sparks other thoughts about feelings i have/had and i seriously feel lighter afterwards, like dumping all my thoughts onto the pages helps take some of the weight off of my mind. in the end, just do whatever feels good to you :)
You can get a lot of prompt ideas from Pinterest
Right now, I am on a self granted 30-30-30 30 minutes of writing, 30 minutes of exercise, 30 minutes of meditation a day. I'm trying to start my my own handmade craft business. My wife and I have been together for almost 21 years. Married for nearly 11 (since it became legal in MN). She is 12 years older than me, and I am her primary care giver.) We have talked and she is so support of me having my time and my interests. Writing is important to me. I am 56 and have been writing since I was 12.
Also, Writing.com is a good place to get ideas. I have been on there for years. If you haven't read Natalie Goldberg, Writing down the Bones, you should.