Journaling can help to reduce anxiety and stress but can also just be a fun way to spend some time.
Don’t worry if you don’t know where to start or have seen other people’s journals and you think it’s too difficult for you. Journaling is a very personal thing and everyone who journals does it differently. How you do it, is up to you.
You could use your journal every day to write down everything that happened – like a diary, or you could just write in your journal on days when something really significant happened. You could use stickers or colored pens to make it look really fancy or just use a pencil. You don’t even have to write. If drawing pictures is more your thing……….do that!
If you don’t know where to start, here are a couple of ideas:
Start small
If you don’t know where to start, try just writing one sentence every day. You could even start by writing one word every day. If it means something to you, it’s enough.
3 best things about today
Every evening, take 5 minutes to write down 3 great things that happened today.
You may find it really difficult at first, particularly if you feel you have had a bad day, but that’s why this really works. It can make you look for the good rather than focusing on the bad. Maybe someone smiled at you on the bus, or you heard one of your favorite songs on the radio. Maybe you ate something delicious, your football team won their match or someone you know has had a baby. Think about these good things and write them in your journal. When you get really good at this, it’s sometimes hard to pick just 3!!!
Affirmations
Thoughts are powerful. Affirmations are positive statements that can help you to overcome self-sabotaging, negative thoughts. To use affirmations, first think about the thoughts or behaviors that you would like to change in your own life. Next, come up with positive and achievable affirmation statements that are the opposite of these thoughts. Write your affirmations in your journal and repeat them several times a day, especially when you find yourself slipping into negative self-talk or engaging in negative behavior.
Here are some simple examples of affirmations:
- I am successful.
- I am generous.
- I am happy.
Here are some more complex examples:
- I forgive those who have harmed me in my past and peacefully detach from them.
- I am courageous and I stand up for myself.
- I am at peace with all that has happened, is happening, and will happen.
Don’t worry about what everyone else does with their journal, your journal is yours to do what you want with.
Have you tried journaling? What kind of prompts do you use to start writing? Share your favorite writing prompt with iamtheCODE by tagging us on social media.