the one on journaling
Best journalling advice in two words: just write.
Letting things out, whether good or bad, inconsequential or significant, allows you to shape undefined things and frees you from the tension of thought. We usually write things we want to remember or things we wish to release. There’s a calming sensation that comes with doing so, even if it’s a to-do list riddled with unfinished tasks - the important part is it’s there, written out. For me, journaling is a safe way to release whatever it is I’m feeling - the most interesting part is I somehow write even when the words/ideas are not fully formed in thought. It’s a brilliant way to decipher moods and help find your way through life’s perplexities.
Just write! I don’t think there’s a fixed or ‘right’ way to journal - it’s your form of self-care, your thoughts, your words, you make the rules. It doesn’t have to be any certain way as the essence of it is releasing, reflecting, remembering. It’s a beautiful way to mold and relive moments that have become memories and the best part is you don’t have to be a writer to do so.
-On affirmations: If you’re looking for something more structured, with a little guidance, some recommend journalling using affirmations - a type of cataloging that centralizes on reflecting. This technique is known to help people become more positive. It’d have you write out things like i.e what you’re grateful for that day, what you could’ve done better etc. You can also do this with journals that don’t have these guides i.e dedicating different journals or different sections of the journals for affirmations or whatever you wish them to be. Links to these types of journals will be provided along with others at the end of the article.
I asked a few people who journal to tell us about their experiences with it, how and why it helps, why they do it:
Reviews pt. 1 (the rest continued at the end of the page)
“I love it! I just write everything that comes to mind or things I don’t want to forget. If I feel overwhelmed or angry, it’s good to write everything down if I don’t feel comfortable opening up to anyone. Plus journaling is a good excuse for me to buy more stationary supplies lol” -Natalia
“Journaling for me is a self-reflection exercise, which has helped me stay committed to myself and true to my journey as I unearth myself. This art is so powerful because it helps me catalogue different phases of my journey which I even get to reference years after. Would I recommend this to anyone? Absolutely, as it allows you have conversations with myself even the most uncomfortable one you might not necessarily want to have.” - Yewande
To help begin your journalling journey:
*amazon affiliates*
Reviews pt. 2
“I’ve found that my mind constantly tries to preserve me from the pains of misalignment by hiding the reality of it from me. I become at home in the projection of a state of being and lose myself in the illusion so I do not drown in the depths of discomfort. A jarring reveal of the truth opens the floodgates and sweeps me in the depths. Journaling lets the water seep in drop by drop, slow enough that it cannot fill the room all at once, quick enough that it lets me know it’s there, pressing relentlessly against heavy wooden doors. The journal is a liminal space the ocean of my subconscious feelings dances in, pulled to the surface in tide under my pen’s moonlight, glimmering, raw, real. Journaling lets me float in the pools at my own pace, gently undoing the door’s mirage, letting water seep through the cracks. Journaling lets me know the water is there so I can stand rooted in the linoleum when the doors finally fall, and the water comes pouring in; standing rooted because the water does not scare me; standing rooted because I know how to swim.” - Ayo
“I don’t [journal] but sometimes I try to think back to an idea I had sometime ago that I recall being good and wish I did, so I could recollect it better.” -Tolu
