How to Start Journaling for Beginners

I started journaling two and a half years ago when I moved out of home to start university in another city. My mom had suggested it to me as a way to get some of my thoughts out to lower my stress, and it became one of the most cathartic things I’ve experienced. At first, I didn’t really know what to write in my journal because all I knew about journaling was from things I saw in T.V shows or movies where the person started writing with dear diary blah blah blah. I’m going to share with you how I started journaling, how I write in my journal and how it’s helped me the most.

Over time you will start to figure out your personal journaling routine, but starting can be challenging. It’s important to remember that no one is grading you on how well you write or what you write about, and it’s all about your thoughts and feelings. Here are a few strategies that I followed to start journaling.

How to start journaling:

1. Getting a notebook and pen. If you are anything like me, you probably already have a couple of these items in your home because you saw one that was pretty and bought it thinking you would need it for something. But if you don’t already have these things laying around, they are pretty inexpensive and can be found in a dollar store or even your local grocery store. Remember, it doesn’t have to be fancy.

2. Make a routine. Having a routine for when you journal can really help create a habit. Whether you decide to do it in the morning or before bed, or even just on the weekend is entirely up to you but setting that expectation that you set time away to journal will make it easier to start and continue with.

3. Start small. Try to only write for maybe 3–5 min to start. Don’t expect yourself to sit down, write for 30min and get every last thought onto the paper. Of course, if this comes naturally to you, don’t hold back but, if you struggle to get your ideas onto paper, start small and go from there.

4. Lastly, just start writing. I’m talking about unfiltered writing about whatever is on your mind. This is important because it will let your subconscious come to light, which will be your biggest aid in noticing the benefits of journaling.

Thing’s journaling has helped me the most in:

1. Reflecting. It doesn’t matter if it’s been a hard day or a really great day; just sitting down and reflecting on how I felt gives me so much insight to learn and grow from. Giving myself space to reflect gives me perspective that helps me either move past something that is bothering me or helps me truly soak up a really incredible experience. Most of the time, we don’t want to relive a challenging situation, but it’s often the harder things in life that help us grow. This is what I keep in mind whenever I’m hesitant to write about a difficult day. I think something important to note is that journaling is for the positives in our life just as much as the negatives, and it’s about finding a balance between them.

2. Putting thoughts to rest. I often get stuck in a loop of thoughts or a train of ideas associated with things going on in my life on a day-to-day basis. Maybe it’s something someone said to me or a fight I had with a friend. Whatever it is, writing it down and getting it onto paper and out of my head helps immensely with stress associated with the thoughts. Since I don’t have to filter what I write because my journal is only for me, I can say what I’m thinking or write something that I would like to say to someone whether I want to share it or not. I find that if anything was bothering me before journaling after I get it out, it puts the thoughts to rest.

3. Helping me in making big decisions. I’ve had to make some pretty big decisions over the past couple of years, and journaling has helped just by giving me a way to really dig into my emotions towards things or weighing out the pros and cons of a situation. Journaling gives you a place to make a decision based on our trust in ourselves and not fear. It’s a tool I use to get to the bottom of my own thought process that allows my true feeling to surface.

All in all, journaling is one of my favourite ways to de-stress and get to know myself better. I encourage you to explore journaling and to find what works for you. There are many ways to journal, and I feel like I only scratched the surface of what journaling has to offer. Here are a few journaling prompts to get you started :)

• What really makes me happy is…
• The last time I felt this way I…
• What I wish I could change…
• If I could say one thing to ____, I would tell them…
• My ideal situation would look like this…
• If I could not fail, I would…
• I would rather…
• I need to let go of…
• What’s really bugging me right now is…