Life is a challenge. Everyday we are faced with new obstacles that must be overcome and new changes that we are forced to accept as our reality. If we allow it, a tough day can often turn into a hard month, which may lead to an awful year. This is often called the snowball effect... where one thing goes wrong and everything else seems to crumble down with it. In my experience, I have observed this particular thing happens when I don't take time to reflect and think about why certain things are going wrong and more importantly how essential it is for me to fix them.
If we allow every single little thing to harm us, then it won't take very long until we burn out. This is the simple reason I give myself for journaling everyday. Personally, I give this practice credit for helping me process the hard time and appreciate the good. Journaling gives me an opportunity to analyze daily events and think about how much I am willing to let them affect me. If it so happens that they are too awful to let go of, then at this point I can initiate a plan to fix it. On the other side of things, if I decide a problem is small, then I choose to let it go.
This process is required every day of your life to allow you to make full use of it. As it may seem daunting to keep up with something so often, I am here to share my tips on how to write in your journal every day of the year.
1. Plan for it
As I know most of you use a bullet journal to plan out your days, my very first recommendation is to book some time in your day to journal. Think of journaling as an event in your day and set a time and place for it. Personally, I journal at 9pm at my desk every night, as well as on Saturday mornings when I first wake up. By planning for theses 15-20 minutes, you are eliminating the excuse of not having enough time in your day to journal, therefore increasing the chances you will complete it.
2. Make it an event worth attending
To entice myself to pick up a pencil, take out my notebook and write, I will often make my space feel cozy. Making a cup of tea, putting on comfy clothes and setting your lights to a soft setting will help you find value in this time. You will see journaling as a way to relax, as this is a time to reconnect with your thoughts and settle your mind.
3. Make use of journaling prompts
When recommending journaling to my friends, I often hear the words "my life is not interesting enough to journal about". Whether or not you have had an exciting day, I believe everyday is worth recording and keeping account of. If you have every felt the way mosts have who avoid this practice, journaling prompts are a great way to start. Prompts are simply phrases or questions that you respond to, usually in as detailed a manner as possible. I am not usually one that required prompts as my mind is so full by the end of the day however when I do use them I love what I discover about myself while writing. If this tip interests you, make sure you check out my blog post: autumn journaling prompts :)
4. Write about your passions
Who every said journaling had to always be about you. Honestly, I don't think there is not one person in this world that would find it easy to write love letters to themselves or write an entry about their bests qualities. This being said, write a couple entries about your favourite celebrities or books. You may not realize it at the time, but you can learn a lot about a person (in this case yourself) when they speak to you about the things they are interested in.
5. Set challenges
Last year when I began daily journaling I struggled with it the second month in. The first month I was extremely motivated but this passion eventually died out. In November, I decided to set the challenge of writing every day. I could write pages worth or a couple phrases, as long as I stuck to the simple rule of writing something every single day of that month.
-- Sarah
Tags: #journaling #daily #selfhealing