Journaling for Beginners

So, I’m going to admit, I don’t journal. As someone with mental health issues and a crazy life (well, it feels crazy to me), I know that I should. There are a myriad of health benefits associated with journaling, not to mention being more organized and an overall feeling of better well-being. When I realized that I was going to have to give it a shot, I decided to jump in with both feet. And thus this first post on journaling for beginners!

Supplies

As with anything new, the first thing I have to do is go shopping (yay!). Being on a budget, I browsed Pinterest to start. I would advise you to do this as well. Pinterest is kind of a rabbit hole, though, so I’m going to try not to get too focused on it. I spent way too much time admiring the art and ideas of other people and probably not enough time getting started. Procrastination is a friend of mine, unfortunately.

What you really need to start journaling is a pen and paper. Sounds easy and cheap, right? Of course, you can spend a lot of money on supplies. If you spend too much time on Pinterest, you might also get sucked in to washi tape, stamps, stickers, and more! For my initial purposes, I’m just going to go with a journal and some colored pens.

Amazon, here I come! I ordered a lined notebook with a hard cover and a small set of colored pens. I’m trying to keep it easy to start, and I didn’t spend more than $20 on all the supplies I bought.

Finding The Time

I think the first reason I found to not journal was that I perceived that I didn’t have the time to write down stuff about myself. Since I really am trying to get with the program here, I tried to break down why I don’t think I have the time to write. I mean, clearly I have time to do a lot of useless stuff during the day, so why not something that is really proven to help me?

To be honest, at first I was just resistant to writing about myself. I have a hard time prioritizing myself in my life, I sometimes struggle with lower self-esteem, and it’s more difficult to write about somebody that you’re having a hard time getting along with. I sometimes have a hard time getting along with myself. But, in the spirit of trying new things, I’m going to give it a good shot.

I decided to set aside at least a half an hour every night before I go to bed, and just write about my day and how I felt about it. It doesn’t seem like much, but if I want to reap the benefits, I need to give this journaling an honest chance.

What to Journal About?

My journal and pens come in the mail tomorrow, so I’ll be starting my first journal tomorrow night.

Now what do I write about? If you look on the internet, you will find that people journal about everything! It’s kind of overwhelming at first, honestly, especially if you’re a first-timer. I decided to just write about my day and track my emotions. What you journal about really depends on what you want to find out about yourself.

Do you want to discover more about why you feel the way you do about things? Do you want to chronicle your life and commemorate events? Maybe you want to become more organized? These are all things that you can accomplish by journaling. Some people even journal their dreams and track their sleep. It’s up to you to prioritize what you want to journal about. To start, I would advise you pick one or two things, so you don’t get overwhelmed.

Time to Get Started

Tomorrow, when my journaling supplies get here, I will start my journey into journaling. I hope you will join me! I challenge you to try to journal for 30 days straight, as that’s what I’m going to do. At the end of each week, on Friday, I will share how it goes and what I learn about myself! I only learn about myself when I’m forced to, so I’m sure I’ll be as surprised as you!

My prediction is that I will be more well-adjusted and feel like I am more in touch with myself at the end of the 30 days. I hope that it will provide me with some insight into why I feel the way I feel in certain situations, and how I can navigate my moods more successfully. Please join me in this challenge! Also, feel free to post pictures of your journal and experience here or on our Facebook page! Thanks, and happy journaling!

Photo credits:

021 – Emma Larkins

The Leaf Project – The Leaf Project