What is journaling? why do I need to journal? how can journaling help me better? there might be lots of questions in your mind, which I too had when I knew nothing about journaling.

“As there are a thousand thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up the pen to write.” —William Makepeace Thackeray

Journaling is about writing down your thoughts on a piece of paper. In the long run, it becomes a journal. You can write about whatever you want to, it doesn’t even need to be meaningful. You  know exactly what you fancy in  life

wanted to hit the gym

wanted to go grocery shopping

wanted to be a better person

wanted to complete the book

wanted to eat healthily

but you are nowhere near at hand. Wanting to do lots of things but dwindling leads to anxiety. Before going to the state of anxiety start doing journaling which keeps you productive.

How to journal

There are copious ways you can journal, each one has its unique way. There is nothing like the paradigm for journaling, it is just the flow, what makes you comfortable, what makes you happier, and what makes you better.

Morning Pages

When you are out of bed the first and foremost thing you do is open a blank page and just start writing whatever comes to your mind, it does not even need to be chronological. Don’t worry about the handwriting, grammatical errors, or what others think if they read it. Be yourself, and write from your internal soul. By doing this you spill out all the thoughts you have in your mind. It can be thoughts that are disturbing you or motivating you. After completing it, read it, and reread it. You will know more about yourself. You can see a clear picture of what’s happening around you in your life.

Gratitude List

You yearn for things in your life like tasty food, an understanding spouse, a lavish car, a big house, etc. But we forget to be grateful for what we have today. A meal a day, a roof on your head, a job for a living. Express gratitude for what you have in your life. When you are grateful you are like to receive more of that.

I am grateful that I can afford a good meal today

I am grateful I made my parents proud today

I am grateful I went to the gym today

I am grateful I started reading a book today

Any and every day you can be grateful for every little thing. Make it a point to write at least four things you are grateful for in a day. Later when you go and read it back you feel like you have so much in your life you even didn’t ask for. You feel contented.

To-Do List

Coming up with a plan falls flat if you don’t execute it. Feel certain about what you want to accomplish in a year. Write it down, break it into monthly goals again split it into weekly goals, and make it into daily to-do tasks. Knowing how much you progress and where you stand is one important factor in success. Every day keep an eye on your progress. This will help to find your strengths and weaknesses.

Impact of journaling on Me

First, I never forget to write down things that I am grateful for, writing this made me realize that I have so much to be happy about in my life, and I am lucky enough to live this life, which gives me the motivation to do forthcoming things in my life.

Second, I clear out my mind by writing down whatever runs through my mind.  While writing something serious,  if a song passes through my mind, I even write those song lyrics in the journal. There are a lot of things that run through my head, and writing them down gives me clarity to prioritize things. This has reduced my stress so much rather than getting confused and wining “I didn’t do anything, I have so much to do, I am not sure where to start”. Everyone has certainly gone through this in their life sometimes.

Third, planning my day prior gives me an ample amount of time for the next day.  If I don’t plan the earlier day,  I will be stuck not knowing what to do for the day and when I want to do it, it’s already the end of the day and I am tired and it ends up being a nonproductive day. Maintaining a journal for my day-to-day list has made me more productive.

Most important of all, the habit of writing a journal cannot be inculcated in a day. I take a step forward today but two steps backward tomorrow. I am still trying to be consistent in writing a journal. Everyday practice of writing will take you there. Even though you missed writing a day, not at all a problem keep on writing until you reach there, writing is what matters.

xoxo,

Mita