Why a journal should be a part of your routine.

By show of eye-rolls, how many of us hear the word “journaling” and instantly picture an angst teenager sitting on their bed writing about some fleeting problem? While that is the common image associated with journaling, the benefits of the process have evolved and so have the methods.

Journals are places where you can write down in your own words the feelings you are experiencing. While reading is bringing in more information to process and giving you multiple though avenues you never knew were possible, your mind easily gets tangled in the web of information you are storing. The brain might be the most powerful machine but unfortunately it doesn’t work unless we make it work. In order to help clear pathways for the brain the sort through the information that is uniquely our own we need to train ourselves. Here are a few ways that journaling helps.

As mentioned before, there is a whole lot of information buzzing in our minds and often we get lost trying to remember where we are and what our own personal goals should be. Journals help us place down a mental map of where we are and where we are going. By allowing your mind to speak to you through text, you are visualising yourself from the inside out. When life takes over and we are drowning in the day to day of living, journaling becomes an anchor point to remind you exactly what’s important.

Knowing yourself without the background chatter of a partner’s hopes for you or your parents’ dreams and needs creates a sense of self-awareness which is important. You have probably heard the saying, “You can’t feed others from an empty cup”. Being mindful of your own needs and current state of your body and mind is the necessary recharge everyone needs. When you start to feel overwhelmed, confused or misguided, keeping a journal will help give you the much needed permission to alter your mindset. Negative thoughts easily creep into our lives so journaling helps you get back down to the basics of gratitude and uplifting thoughts.

Lastly, journaling is a form of written meditation. If the word meditation sounds foreign think of it as a prayer. When you meditate, much like praying, you clear your mind of all external thoughts and distractions and focus your thoughts. Often those beginning a spiritual journey are taught to start their prayers with gratitude and praise. Same goes for meditating where you block everything out. Returning to the present by focusing on your breath releases previous tensions. When you journal you are now focusing on the light scratching that the pen makes against the paper as your hand scribbles your thoughts. Meditation has been proven to boost moods, energise and alleviate strains caused by mental illnesses.

If you’re warming up to the idea of journaling, here are some ideas of journals you can try to get you started:

Physical journals

You can always start with the good old fashioned hard cover journals and ink. Find a book you like and I mean really like. The cover and feel of the book needs to elicit some positive reaction out of you. It’s easier for you to be drawn to writing in it as often as you can when you have a book that actually makes you feel good. Books speak differently to everyone. Colours and textures have different memories and connotations for people so take the time to find the right book for you.

Secondly, try to make the journal as personal as possible. It can be a gratitude journal or a prayer/meditation journal. Find a way to make sure that the journal is right for you, that way you can remember to jot down once in a while. Bullet journals are also a good way to journal if you’d rather not blurt out your feelings but rather you want to organise your mental information and goals. Bullet journals give you a monthly or weekly period to review past goals and set new goals in a way that you won’t find overwhelming.

Mobile/ Electronic journals

There are so many journals on Play Store and App Store. From hair journals to couples journals, there’s a journal for your every need. You can set reminders and prompts to make sure you remember to take some time to write. Most electronic journals incorporate the style of bullet journals as you don’t have to actually write a lot of information but rather you just tick a box or pick a most relatable icon. I do have some mixed feelings regarding electronic journals since most people advise the shortening of screen time but the convenience of electronic journals cannot be ignored. However, some of these do take away the meditation aspect of journaling.

Lately I've been loving Writeaday. It's colourful and provides you with cute prompts to get you sharing without making you feel overwhelmed. You have an ice breaker prompt that allows you to start off-loading. It's like making sticky notes of your life, for yourself and then posting them in your device so that you can read them later. Unfortunately it's not available on App Store but here's an alternative you can try: Journey which works amazing on IOS but not on android.

In-built journals

If you find that you have a hard time holding onto a thought or narrowing down your daily experiences into one, then try reading books that have in-built journals. There are bibles and daily devotions that I have seen that include journaling sections with prompts. These will easily get you to focus on one thing and allow you to enjoy a quieter mind. The added benefit is the compartmentalisation of your new information as it enters your mind.