A window to your soul, keeping a journal can be a
way of giving your feelings an outlet like no
other, a place where your deepest thoughts can
reside without fear of judgment, blame, or need
of justification. Journals allow you to be just
who you are, and are a place where you can travel
through life's emotions with gentleness,
compassion, and deeper understanding.
While journal writing is a personal journey, determined wholly by your
own thoughts, ideas, and meanderings, it can be helpful to read
suggestions for making the most of your journal, as well as some ideas
about getting one started. If you haven't tried journal writing yet,
or you have but let it slip or didn't really get into it, there is no
time like the present to start one and to let your consciousness flow
through your writing, connecting you with your deeper thoughts and
ideas.
!! Steps !!
_ Perhaps the iPad works for you?Find a journal medium that's
perfect for you. Decide how you want to keep your journal, either
on paper or in electronic form. Both methods have advantages and
drawbacks, so you'll need to weigh up what works best for you. For
example, a paper based journal can be taken anywhere, never needs
electricity, and can be highly personalized with drawings,
attachments, etc. but typing can be faster and easier in the
electronic format, and an electronic document can still be
personalized in different ways. Both journal types can be found if
measures aren't taken to hide them well, but it's probably easier
to hide an electronic file than a paper book.
* While there is no need to get a fancy journal, for some people the
stationery [1] used is a large part of the sensory experience of
keeping a journal. You don't have to buy expensive or fancy
versions but if they are something you really want and they're a
treat to yourself, then work it into your budget.
* Decorating possibilities are endless for cheaper journals and it's
fun to personalize a journal rather than rely on someone else's
idea of good design. Just keep in mind that it's not about using a
fancy book; it's about tapping into the stream of thoughts and
writing them down.
* Decide on your writing implement if using paper. Choose a pen [2]
that feels good to you and works for your own aesthetic needs.
Decide what kind of journal you'd like to keep.
There are different possibilities open to you
when developing your journal theme or approach.
You could simply use your journal to write down
all the thoughts that come to you at any
particular time, randomly, or you could make
your journal more focused on a specific theme
to draw out something that you're trying to
develop more of in your life. And there is
nothing saying that you can't keep both a
random and a specific journal at the same time!
Some ideas for themed journals include:
* A gratitude journal [3] – in this journal you record all the
things for which you feel grateful each day, week, etc. and note
the people, animals, events, and things that really matter to you.
* A vacation journal [4] – in this journal you record more than
just what you see on your vacation; you also record your feelings,
impressions, and emotions as they are challenged, changed, and
illuminated by your travels.
* An ideas journal – in this journal you record all the ideas and
inspirations that flash into your mind at any time without
warning, providing a place that you can come back to as an
idea-storming resource when you have the time. The ideas can be
for writing, for business, for play, for inventions [5], for
anything at all!
* A child raising [6] journal – in this journal you record all the
things that you think are special, wonderful, lovable, and
memorable about your kids at different ages and stages. This is a
great way to keep a record of those funny words, phrases, and
comments made by kids as they grow up and see the world anew.
* A transition [7] journal – in this journal you record the
transition you're going through, such as job hunting or loss,
becoming a parent for the first time or again after many years,
starting a business, going on a special journey, etc. This type of
journal can document changing patterns in your life, and it is
useful to ask yourself such questions as "What do I enjoy and no
enjoy", "What do I expect for the future in what I am doing now?",
"Which people can help me as I transition?", etc.
Find the perfect place (or places) for writing
in your journal. Journal writing is a time of
reflection [8] and requires solitude [9],
peace, and no interruptions. It's important to
feel relaxed, at ease, and not worried about
someone else barging in on your reflection
time. It's also important to feel comfortable.
Select your favorite journal writing spot or
spots keeping in mind all of these essential
needs and experiment by writing in different
places to see what happens to the content of
your writing.
* Take a seat in your chair by the glowing fire or lie down
underneath a blossoming apple tree.
* Find a quiet part of the house where you know you won't be
disturbed.
* The suitability of a place can change with the time of day. Keep
this in mind when selecting your writing nook; for example, the
kitchen might be hubbub and bustle all day long but come 10pm, it
might be the quietest and most enjoyable part of the house.
Find a time that's right for you. Some of the
advice on journal-writing tries to turn it into
an effort by suggesting that you should commit
to daily writing, or to some form of regular
writing. This misses the point in keeping a
journal, which is that it is an extension of
you and how you're feeling. And if you don't
feel like writing in your journal even though
you made some commitment to yourself to write
in it, it's possibly going to turn into
something that you resent. Better than making a
commitment to regular writing is to make a
commitment to yourself that when you feel like
using your journal to be creative, to vent
feelings, to write down ideas, etc., then you
will. And if that's daily, then good for you;
if it skips a month or two or even a year here
and there, then so be it. Many journal writers
have journals spanning years with gaps of
entire years between and pick them up again
from where they last left off whenever they
need_ the journal.
* Keeping your journal by your bedside can be helpful if you find
yourself forgetting to write in it. Often thoughts come before
sleeping time and writing in a journal can be a helpful way to
wind down at the day's end, provided it's a comfortable place for
you.
* Remind yourself whenever you feel down [10], antsy, brimful of
ideas, etc., that your journal is the perfect outlet.
Relax [11]. Every person differs in what helps
them to relax and feel contented, and it is no
different when getting in the mood for journal
writing. Some people enjoy having music to get
them in the mood, others need total quiet,
while others need the constant drone of city
life to stimulate thinking. Choose whatever
methods aid your escape into journal writing
and doesn't make it feel like too much effort.
* Don't fuss about grammar, spelling, and other perfection [12] in
your journal. This is your place, and if there are boo boos, then
so be it. Wanting to erase errors while working through deep
issues of feelings or having a wellspring of ideas can hamper your
flow and also tends to suggest that you're trying too hard to
control the situation you're writing about rather than to learn
more about it and to find new ways to perceive it.
Find sources of inspiration [13]. It's often
easiest to start with your current feelings.
Transfer them to paper and see where this takes
you next. There are no rules at all about
journal writing and you may find that your
starting points vary every time you begin a new
entry. Sometimes it is easier to begin with a
narrative about something that happened to you
during the day, something that is burning right
through you and that you want answers to but
feel confused about. Writing down the mundane
facts and events can open up a whole stream of
consciousness as you're writing, leading you to
insights you would not have been able to bring
forth without arranging your thoughts in the
journal. Other spurs to writing can include:
* Try movies, books, or TV shows as a starting point sometimes: for
example, you can consider the philosophical [14] implications of
your favorite movie, or write an essay about why you find this or
that character compelling... or not.
* Pretend you have an audience and you are the professor; give a
lecture in what you want them to hear. Sometimes writing down
events in your life that have taken place or writing down
questions and answering them can waken the creative juices
simmering in your mind.
* Discuss something you bought or made during the past few days. Is
it something that you're going to use for a new hobby, to help you
complete an essay, to woo a person with, to decorate your home,
etc.? Take the reason for buying or making it and proceed to write
about the motivations behind it.
Use a journal to work through the hard stuff.
Journals come top of the list when venting your
troubles; many therapists [15] rubber-stamp the
journal as a key part of recovery from
emotional distresses that patients are seeking
to work through. A journal soaks up your anger,
your rage, your vengeance, your jealousy, your
whole plethora of negative emotions and doesn't
judge you, doesn't shout back at you, doesn't
curse you, and doesn't tell you to get a life.
It sits there passive in one way but very
revealing in another. Getting negative feelings
off your chest and into a journal can liberate
you from having to vent the feelings anywhere
else, and can give you the necessary breathing
space to try and see the facts beneath the
emotions [16] and to stand in the shoes of
others involved in your feelings to see whether
or not they have a point.
* Feel free to curse, to call people names, and to let it all out.
It's better here than anywhere else and it is a way of giving vent
to frustration, anger, and attitude that needs an outlet somewhere
safe.
* Keep writing until you feel spent. This gives you the best chance
of freeing yourself from the feelings that are haunting you and
preventing you from moving on to more positive feelings [17].
* Write about the guy you never think you'll get to date, write
about the girl next door who keeps telling secrets about you,
write about your parents or parents-in-law, or your family in
general, write about your ambitions, your callings, your skills,
your favorites; the list can go on and on.
* Fill your journal with whatever you like. Of
course, doodles are totally acceptable. Lyrics [18] to songs,
poems, book excerpts and newspaper clippings are also encouraged.
It's sometimes fun to glue in little tidbits of your life, like
the ticket stubs from a movie or play you saw on Friday night or
the picture you took of a breathtaking sunset. The journal is the
real-life manifestation of your mind, so make it something that's
completely yours!
* As the months and years pass by, learn from what you\'ve
written in your journalReflect over what you\'ve written now and
then. It\'s not all write and no read; comparing where you are now
with where your were several weeks, months, and years ago is a
beneficial exercise in growth. Think about what things have become
clearer to you from one journal entry to the next, and think about
what hopes and dreams [19] once written in your journal have now
turned into reality. Think about the things that are yet to still
happen and whether there are signs or patterns you can discern
that are somehow blocking your intended progress. Use your journal
to assess your life's journey.
Keep your journal safe. No one will see this
journal but you but you have to make sure of
that too. You'll only feel free to truly
express yourself if the journal cannot
compromise your relationships with others or
how you're viewed, so be sure to find safe
places to keep the journal.
* Find perfect hiding places for your journal. Vary them regularly
if you have concerns about anybody prying. Be clever about the
cover too; perhaps make it appear like a chemistry textbook or
accounting principles to throw off snooping siblings or spouses.
* Learn how to lock access to electronic documents. If you're
keeping your journal in electronic form, password protect your
computer and your document. Be careful of cloud computing just in
case some slip-up happens.
* Write a simple beginning note for any prying eyes, just in case.
Write something along the lines of "Before you feel compelled to
read my deepest thoughts, consider how you would feel if somebody
did the same thoughtless and uncaring act to you. The karma be
with you."
* Read How to hide your diary [20] for some more ideas.
!! Video !!
!! Tips !!
* Consider getting a notebook with unlined pages, to make way for
doodles and avoid cramping your style. However, if all you're
going to do is write, then lined pages are better for you.
* A collaborative effort could be a unique way of exploring new
ideas. _The Notebook Girls_ is a good example. Get a couple of
your best friends to whom you tell _all_ of your secrets, and
start writing! Beware that collaborative journal-writing can
backfire on you though if one person decides to spill the beans.
* Tape record yourself if you must and transcribe it later. You'll
want to remember everything you think of for future reference.
* Having your journal at hand is always a good idea too; you never
know when the opportunity moment will come when you want to write
something down. Even just a random thought like, "Why do people
always look at their tissue after they sneeze?" comes around,
you'll be able to write it down, and show what you really think
throughout the day, instead of just reflections of what happened
that day at the end of the day. If this seems to risky to carry
around, keep a small "ideas notebook" and transcribe the thoughts
from it back into your journal at a later time.
* Be very careful about starting a warts and all diary blog [21].
There are non-public settings on some diary style blogs but you
need to be vigilant to keep it private. If you do make a public
blog, be very careful about what you say about other people, or
making it easy for them to guess who they are. The repercussions
can be endless and not pretty if you say unflattering things about
people. Also, talking a lot about your inner pain or your ideas
exposes you to a lot of people if you do this publicly on a blog;
do you really want that level of knowledge known by all forever
more?
!! Warnings !!
* Be careful with writing your journal on the computer, because
someone can hack into your computer and read your journal. If you
can, password protect it (there are ways to do this using most
writing programs) so that others cannot enter into your domain as
easily.
* Don't write in your journal if you don't want to. It's there for
an escape, not as an assignment. Some people ignore it for months
on end before they write a new entry. And that is perfectly fine.
!! Things You\'ll Need !!
* A blank journal (or a computer, laptop, iPad, or notebook)
* A suitable writing implement
* Decorative elements (optional)
!! Related WikiHows !!
* How to Make a Personalized Journal [22]
* How to Hide Your Diary from Siblings [23]
* How to Make a Secret Note [24]
* How to Keep a Book Journal [25]
* How to Write in Pigpen Code [26]
!! Article Tools !!
* Read on wikiHow
*
Links:
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[1] http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Your-Own-Stationery
[2] http://www.wikihow.com/Choose-a-Pen
[3] http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Gratitude-Journal
[4] http://www.wikihow.com/Organize-a-Pleasurable-Vacation
[5] http://www.wikihow.com/Patent-an-Invention
[6] http://www.wikihow.com/Raise-a-Child
[7] http://www.wikihow.com/Transition-to-a-Vegetarian-Lifestyle
[8] http://www.wikihow.com/Reflect
[9] http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Happy-Despite-Solitude
[10] http://www.wikihow.com/Let-Go-of-Thoughts-and-Feelings
[11] http://www.wikihow.com/Relax-Like-a-Cat
[12] http://www.wikihow.com/Control-Perfectionism
[13] http://www.wikihow.com/Reach-Inspiration-Any-Where-Any-Time
[14] http://www.wikihow.com/Test-General-Philosophical-Claims-Using-Counterexamples-%28for-Beginners%29
[15] http://www.wikihow.com/Choose-a-Therapist
[16] http://www.wikihow.com/Gain-Control-of-Your-Emotions
[17] http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Positive
[18] http://www.wikihow.com/Get-the-Lyrics-for-a-Song
[19] http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Journal.jpg
[20] http://www.wikihow.com/Hide-Your-Diary
[21] http://www.wikihow.com/Be-an-Effective-Blogger
[22] http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Personalized-Journal
[23] http://www.wikihow.com/Hide-Your-Diary-from-Siblings
[24] http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Secret-Note
[25] http://www.wikihow.com/Keep-a-Book-Journal
[26] http://www.wikihow.com/Write-in-Pigpen-Code
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