Journaling

@shupadupa

Hello!

I love journaling! It has so many benefits!

I have a gratitude journal and a thought journal!

To keep consistency, I don't put pressure on myself to write too much.

Even if I just write one sentence, I feel good about it :)💛💫

Hey @shupadupa, nice to meet you! It's really nice you're considering journaling and wanting to be consistent with it. ❤

Do you have any specific goals or expectations in mind with the journal? For instance some like to do gratitude journaling, some do it to simply share their thoughts in a daily journal about their day, feelings, emotions etc, some prefer prompts to get started with the writing (like "what the last thing you tried for the first time, how did it feel?" Etc)

I relate with how hard it can feel to be consistent with it, I've tried too hehe, i try not to be very particular about how often I journal (helps to release that "should do" thought), some people try to set reminders/ alarms too for journaling, or have a specific time set for it so our brain automatically signals us "hey it's time to do X thing". How do you feel about trying these?

Alsooo I find a post here quite helpful with lots of tips for journaling, hope it helps you too: https://www.7cups.com/forum/HealthyLiving_141/MentalEmotionalHealthWellbeing_1047/TipsforJournaling_284885/?post=3087844

Good wishes!❤

@shupadupa

Hi 😊

I love journaling!

Do any of you journal and if so what kind of journaling do you do?

1.) Digital journal

- To track very personal stuff ( habits, gratitude, and mood)

- It's kind of like a planner where I record my daily, weekly & monthly routine, and then I also record everything that I put in the journal entry in my fitness app where I track my exc routine, water intake, food intake, sleep time, and I also use it as a calendar.

2.) Art Journal

- where I include some of my paintings/doodles/drawings

3.) Junk Journal

- this is just for fun

4.) Notebook

- to express thoughts, and I send it for recycling at the end of the year.

I have had a ton of different journals in the past but have never been able to keep consistent, any tips??

To be consistent, you could plan what day and time you'll use the journals and state the purpose and how it will make you feel better whenever you journal. You could even plan your self-care routine, and include journaling in the list of things you want to do more often. However, don't be too hard on yourself if you skip it once or twice. Just try to be more consistent next time. You can even participate in this challenge if you're interested:

Accountability Challenge: Share Your Progress Here!

I wish you all the best 👍

@shupadupa

Hello! 🐈

I feel much the same as you - I love journaling, and over the years I've had a couple different books, but I've never managed to keep up the consistency for one reason or another - this thread will be helpful for me as well for any tips on how I can be more consistent too! 😸

I usually keep one of three journals, one for art or doodles, one that's like a scrapbook of sorts, and one for any writing, thoughts or poems. 📖🖌️

One small thing that has motivated me before to have a period of consistency (although it only lasted the few months I had to do this) was that I was making a journal as a gift for a friend - I was going to fill all the pages up with drawings and letters and photos and all sorts of nice things for them, and the fact it was a gift I was making made me very consistent in my habits to get it done, and as a result helped me keep up with my own personal books too.