Tips to Maintain a Journal

If you are already into journal logging then you could easily assess my intention of writing this blog. But before sharing the tips for maintaining a journal, I would like to introduce journal writing and its benefits to those readers who are not as familiar with this concept.

In simple words, Journaling is writing down your thoughts, ideas, passions, feelings, determinations, dreams, fears, learning, experiences, expectations, observations, vision, and, and, and,…, whatever comes in your mind. Have you ever noticed that how much burden your mind is holding??? Our mind also has a right to be relaxed, to be breathed out, but what we do with it??? We stuff our minds with thoughts. So journal writing is a way to put down your mind on a piece of paper. This is a very therapeutic process, and, beneficial for one’s well-being. It has significant values for your self-kindness and what’s more, you get from this activity, let’s have a look over it.

1.      It helps you in untangling your tangled thoughts. When you write your confusions on paper, then you get clearer to know what is happening in your mind.

2.      It helps you in organizing your ideas that pop out randomly in your mind.

3.      It helps to understand your feelings and emotions, particularly when you are in a bad mood, just express your inner out on a paper.

4.      It helps you in making a decision. Writing down the doubts, pros, cons of the possibilities and the associated choices erases the ambiguities that make you indecisive.

5.      When you write your thoughts on paper, then you focus more on realizing a situation, and a concentrated mind makes it the best.

6.      This may help you to manage your anxiety and relieve stress.

The benefits list is long and varies from person to person experiences regarding how you log a journal. But most of all, it's a very soothing process.

Tips for Maintaining a journal

For making this therapeutic process smoother and more beneficial, here are a few tips for maintaining it.

Tip 1.   Determine what type of journal you can maintain.

A journal can be categorized into different types.

Type 1 can be a daily diary entry, it is just like writing a diary of a day. You enter such kind of details; How was your day? What have you accomplished? And what has significantly happened on that particular day? Etc., etc.

Type 2 can be a gratitude journal in which you make a list of everything you are grateful for. It can be related to your health, personality, career, family, relationships, and any blessings that you consider to be grateful for having it, mention in a journal.

Type 3 can be an affirmation journal in which you note down whatever you are and you want to do in your life related to your career, relations, and family. You enter those expectations that you have for yourself and those you are fulfilling.

This may include: “I keep myself healthy, I work hard, I am going to be the best version of myself, I deserve self-kindness, etc., etc.”.

Type 4 can be a freestyle journal, in which you are free to write anything that you want to enter in your journal.

Now it is totally up to you to figure out what kind of journal you can maintain easily. You can determine it according to your personality, the time given to it, and most importantly, how much you like and enjoy this process.

Tip 2     Dedicate a notebook for maintaining a journal.

Another tip is to dedicate a handy and lightweight notebook to a journal so that you could keep this easily when you go out if you want to. The advantage is you could immediately be able to write your random ideas and thoughts to sort them out.

Tip 3     What to write in a journal.

It is your personal decision that what content you would like to write in it. But if you keep three elements in your journal, it would help you more in getting the peace of mind and positivity in your life.

Element 1: Write gratitude.

Element 2: Write your goals and achievements.

Element 3: Write forgiveness, not only for others, but also for yourself.

Tip 4      How often you should maintain your journal.

If you love to put entries daily in your journal, then it’s pretty much perfect. Sometimes busy routine does not allow us to update our diary every day. For such kind of situation, try to do this at least 3 to 4 days a week.

Tip 5     Try different things.

The journal is not a bundle of words that reflects your thoughts, it is more than this. You are recording your memories of that particular time, whether it is good or bad. You can try different things such as pasting any Polaroid picture and cuttings of motivational statements, and even you can do any creativity like pasting stickers, using markers, and glitters.

Bottom Line.

As journal writing is a mindful, therapeutic process and having its various positive effects on one’s well-being, so adopt that tip for maintaining it which you feel more soothing. Give your feedback in the below section and share with me that how do you manage your journaling?

Thank you for reading.

TO RESPOND