How to Start Keeping a Journal?
Keeping a journal can be an important part of your personal growth.
Keeping a diary is a forgotten habit for many of us that stays in high school. What if we told you that many studies have consistently shown that keeping a journal can improve your physical and mental health, according to Sage Journals ? Of course, if you've tried keeping a diary and you think it's not good for you, it's okay to quit. After all, there are many different ways to improve your mental health.
Most of the time, though, your diary can be a place to remind you over and over again about what you've actually been through. If this appeals to you, get into the habit of keeping a journal and let it become a tool to get into the darker parts of your mind. Keeping a diary is also an effective way to make your decisions permanent.
Make this a regular habit
Once you establish a regular habit, you will truly feel the benefits of keeping a diary. For example, you can keep a diary every morning and evening. After getting up, showering and getting ready for the day, return to your diary without looking at your phone. Starting the day this way, work your way from a connected place. So you can control your values and make decisions that reflect them throughout the day. Similarly, ending the day by keeping a diary gives you the opportunity to check how you look throughout the day. Did you live the day the way you wanted to be seen? Have you contributed to the world in the way you wanted to contribute?
Your journaling routine may look different from this, you may want to journal for just a few minutes each morning; The important thing is that you do this regularly. Establishing a routine with your diary will set you up for success and will serve as a regular checkpoint for you each day.
Keep your diary close by
Although you regularly keep a diary in the morning and at night, you can carry your diary with you and return to it throughout the day. This way you keep all your thoughts in one place, making it easier to look at your own progress. By keeping your diary close at hand, you are also more likely to stick with your practice.
Return to your diary whenever you need it.
While it's great to express yourself morning and night in a diary, you can use it for more. Let's say you had an argument during the day that stressed you out. You can go back to your diary to calm down and write down what you're feeling. Doing so allows you to process your experience and see both sides of the conflict.
Keeping a journal is a great resource to help you work through discussions, decisions, creative pursuits, and times of low motivation. It can also serve as a tool to monitor your emotions, menstrual cycle, and health experiences you encounter.
Make your diary a judgment-free zone
Our family, colleagues, partners, friends; we are even judged by the people we meet at the grocery store. Our diary should not be a place where we feel judged. So it's important to keep a free diary without fear of being judged. When we censor ourselves, we significantly limit the impact of keeping a diary on our lives. Make an effort to make sure your diary is a nonjudgmental zone.
Tips to speed up your journaling journey
- Control yourself and how you feel: Our lives are extremely busy. We can easily check in on Facebook no matter which cafe we are in, but when was the last time we checked in ourselves? Using your diary as a tool to control your feelings can be a nice way to connect with yourself every day. Use your journal to discover how you're feeling, how your day went, or what you're up against.
- Think about what happens during the day: Keeping a diary can help you reflect on your day well. You can write about your actions, your interactions, how your day went, what you accomplished, how you felt.
- Write unsent letters to someone in your life: Writing letters without the intention of sending them can be a truly therapeutic practice. Imagine that you are writing a letter to someone who has hurt you in the past, or even someone who is active in your life today. What would you say? Recording unsent letters in your diary can help you get closer to someone without having to talk to them.
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