Start Journaling This Year

woman writing in journal

It’s a new year, meaning now’s a fantastic time to introduce positive habits. With that in mind, consider starting a journal this year. Journaling can reduce stress, improve positivity, and so much more. Plus, it’s nice to have a record of your life that you can look back on down the road. First, check out some tips that will help you start journaling. Then you’ll be ready to begin the process.

Choose a Theme

First, you need to think about the purpose of the journal. Do you want to use it to become more positive? If so, you can write a gratitude journal, where you discuss what you’re grateful for each day. On the other hand, if you want to create a record of your life, you’ll use your journal to recount events that happen each day. You can also use a journal to release any thoughts taking up too much space in your head. You’ll write those thoughts down on paper with the purpose of releasing them so they’re no longer taking up emotional or mental bandwidth.

Set a Routine

After you come up with the theme, you’ll need to create a routine to follow. First, think about when you do your best writing. For some people, writing in the morning is the best way to unleash their creativity. This is important, even if you aren’t engaging in what’s normally considered creative writing. You want to be descriptive with your journaling, and you might discover that’s easiest to do in the morning. However, if you use your journal to help you release nagging thoughts, you might find that it works best at night. Then you can put those thoughts on paper and get a good night’s sleep.

After giving it some thought, choose a time to do your journaling. Then make a point to write in your journal at that time each day.

Choose How You’re Going to Journal

There are so many options for journaling these days. You can go with the tried-and-true method of journaling in a notebook, or you can select an app for your phone or computer. If you prefer, you can also open up a document on your computer and journal that way. Decide how you want to do it, and then make sure the method you choose is available when you’re ready to journal.

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Don’t Edit Yourself

No matter which theme you choose, make a point to be as expressive and detailed as possible. That will help you reap the most benefits out of journaling. At the same time, don’t edit yourself as you write. You want to let the thoughts and feelings pour out to get the benefits of journaling, so let it all flow out.

It’s easy to get started with journaling. Use these tips as a guide so you can begin writing in a journal this year.

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