“I don’t know what I think until I write it down.”
– Jean Didion
I heard this quote the other day and I was like “YES! Exactly!”
As some of you may know, I’ve struggled with anxiety most of my life. It’s a scary world inside my brain filled with to-do lists, pessimistic thoughts, and “what ifs”. Can you relate?
It’s so therapeutic to take your thoughts out, place them on paper, and visually organize them.
As if that’s not a good enough reason to journal, here are some other ways you can use this form of self-expression to better your life:
- Gratitude journaling: Okay, so something I’m totally guilty of is getting completely wrapped up in first world problems. “Ugh, I’m low on coffee. Woe is me.” I wish this was an exaggeration. (Don’t worry, I have real problems too!) As humans we give a f*ck about way too much, and tend to lose sight of what’s actually important in life. This is why gratitude journaling is amazing!My favorite way to log gratitude is with The Happiness Project One-Sentence Journal
based on the book by Gretchen Rubin so conveniently titled, The Happiness Project
. Even if you don’t read the book, the journal is amazing! Each day, I just take a few minutes to jot down a sentence or 2 about what I’m grateful for! It really helps to make each day feel special, and to find joy in the little things!
- Diet journal: Okay, if there’s a word I hate more than most words, it’s the word “diet”. But “diet” means what your eating habits consist of, so it’s applicable here. It’s amazing what you can learn about yourself by logging your food. For example, I found that I’m extremely tired and bloated after having a large amount of carbs. I also noticed that my ? is more regular when I drink my meal replacement shake. Oh, and if you want a wake-up call, you’ll get it. I can almost bet you snack more than you think 😉 or maybe that’s just me.
- Create goals/bucket lists: You guys, I’m like LEGIT addicted to goal making now. At first it was just health and fitness goals, but that quickly turned into mental health goals, relationship goals, financial goals, travel goals, and well – you get the picture. Goals are awesome! They give you something to look forward to. Something to jump out of bed in the morning for! Set goals, crush them, repeat. ?
- Time related journaling (pregnancy, wedding planning, etc): I think this is such a fun one! There are so many events that seem to fly by, so it’s always fun to keep a record! You could write about your experiences and even add in photos along the way!
- Dream Journal: Have you ever had a dream, only to forget it within an hour of waking up? Maybe I’m the only one fascinated by my dreams, who knows. Every morning after having a dream, write down everything you remember immediately before it escapes your brain! Look up dream meanings after you get it all down, it’s pretty interesting!
- Travel Journal: I went on a cruise with one of my friend’s and it was one of the most fun times of my life. There’s so many amazing memories attributed to this time period, and I wish I would have had a travel journal! We went to 4 different countries, but all my experiences kind of ran together. I’m not even sure what I did where. ? One thing you can do in addition to writing the experiences, is document photos, brochures, pieces of nature, tickets, etc to keep as memorabilia.
based on the book by Gretchen Rubin so conveniently titled, 
. Even if you don’t read the book, the journal is amazing! Each day, I just take a few minutes to jot down a sentence or 2 about what I’m grateful for! It really helps to make each day feel special, and to find joy in the little things!I hope these ideas got your creative juices flowing! Journaling is great for the soul. Check out the journal options for the one I use! They’re super cute, $6.95, and there’s several cute quotes throughout it. (But lots of room to write of course ;))
