Mindful Journaling Techniques
For Inspired Creativity
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Journaling helps you live in the present moment. It can be a helpful tool to process the past and dream about the future. There are different techniques to use in your journaling practice to make it fun, creative, and interesting.
The most important point of this article is to experiment with different techniques and find what works best for you. The only journaling that matters is the journaling you do.
Mindful Journaling Techniques
Mindfulness journaling is the practice of writing down your thoughts on paper without judgment. It can help you process your thoughts and feelings and dig into your goals and dreams for the future.
Journaling is an important element of your self-care plan. This daily practice is deeply personal and can help you heal from past trauma and learn how trauma affects you in the present. Putting down your struggles on paper helps you to see them better and can provide a breakthrough.
There are many techniques you can use to personalize your journaling time and keep you motivated to make it a daily practice. Keeping your daily practice fresh with new ideas and creativity will help you enjoy journaling.
Including Mindfulness Journaling In Your Day
The first step in journaling daily is to build a routine. Journaling can help you slow down and take a moment to reflect. We get caught up in busyness and life flies by without realizing how much we have missed.
One way to help you build a new habit is called habit stacking. You add a new habit to a habit you have already established. You can add your new journaling habit to your morning or evening routine. You could even journal on your lunch break at work. Think through your day and find a place to include journaling that makes sense for your lifestyle.
If you have children you can give each of them a journal and work together in the evenings before or after dinner. Teaching your children to value themselves by setting a good example and including them when possible gives them a strong foundation for their future.
Gratitude Journaling
You can keep a gratitude journal separate from your daily journal or include your daily gratitude list in your main journal. Most gratitude journals are a simple list of three to five items a person is grateful for that day. This is a super easy way to begin a journaling practice.
Listing what you are grateful for each day helps your mind focus on the positive. When you know that even on the worst days there is something to be grateful for you begin to see your life in a different light. A light of overcoming obstacles and finding strength in the struggle. If you write this list before bed you will end your day on a positive note.
If you keep a gratitude journal separate from your daily journal you can write it in a beautiful notebook and use your favorite pen. Keeping your gratitude journals over the years gives you evidence of the many things you appreciated during certain times of your life.
You can add reviewing your gratitude journal at the end of the year to your holiday traditions to inspire your next year. Some people even keep a gratitude jar to pull out one slip of paper for each day of the next year.
Daily Journaling
Starting a daily journaling practice is a good thing. It can help you change your mindset and help you work through trauma.
Your journaling can look like a brain dump first thing in the morning to help you release any stress you may be holding onto. You can journal about what is stopping you from achieving your daily goals. You can also go over your to-do list for the day and write about your whys for getting things marked off.
You can journal about a difficult situation you are facing. Writing down the details can lead to possible solutions. When you write it out your body and mind can process it in a concrete way vs. keeping the thoughts swirling in your mind. You may find that minor annoyances leave you in peace after you get them down on paper.
Many Different Journaling Techniques
We already covered gratitude journaling and a daily practice of journaling. What are some other techniques?
Reflective Journaling — write about how far you have come and appreciate the changes you have made to your life. Taking time to acknowledge progress is an important part of healing. Sometimes we forget all the progress we have made.
Journal Your Dreams — This is similar to a bucket list except that you include why you want to do or accomplish certain things. You can write about how your life will look and how you will feel once you reach your dreams. The more details the better. Have fun writing down dreams.
Dream Journal — This journal technique is writing down your dreams after you wake up and what you think they mean. You can approach this as a fun record of your sleeping thoughts or use it as a tool to gain insight into what you may be struggling with. And some of those quirky storylines our brains come up with can be downright fun to write down and share with others.
Goals — This is a space to dig in and see why and how you will achieve your goals. Why are they important to you? How will your life change when you accomplish them? How will you feel when you reach your goals? You can take time to break them down into actionable steps which then go into your daily plan.
Journal Through Decision-Making — Are you struggling to make a life-changing decision? You can journal your thoughts and feelings about the decision and write up a pro/con list. When you get your thoughts down on paper it can make the right answer clear.
Art Journaling — You can draw or paint your thoughts and feelings in an art journal. Even if you aren’t artistic you can enjoy the creative process of putting your emotions on paper. Find your favorite medium and have fun exploring your creativity.
Poetry Journaling — Express yourself through poetry. You could even start your own poetry anthology of other authors to express your thoughts and emotions.
Use a Guided Journal — You can buy a journal that includes prompts with a theme or goal to write in daily. This is an easy way to start journaling and answers the daily question of what to write about for you.
Enjoy Your Powerful Tool to Live in Peace
I hope you have found some inspiration to start a journaling practice or to breathe new life into an established daily practice. Combine your favorite mindful journaling techniques to customize your daily practice.
Journaling can be a powerful tool to help you live in freedom and peace as you deserve.
