How can something be so simple yet powerful? From scientists to artists to millionaires have cultivated this tool. After reading this post, you might want to give it a try too!
Journaling is a popular concept in the wellness world. We see many posts about journaling, and how it can benefit one's mental health, but what is it?
In simplest words, journaling is a written record that is personal for the writer. A journal can be used for talking about someone's day (thoughts and feelings), for productivity like tracking your eating habits, sleep schedules, etc. While the concept of journaling is saturated, I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the pages I created in the last few weeks that helped me push through my poor state and be able to move forward.
Pages ideas to include
1. Things I’m Grateful for
This page is good to keep in a journal because it allows you to practice gratitude. In my journal, I have 15 things listed so far. Some of the things listed include my mom, my brother, my niece, my friends who have been there for me, for Callie, the ability to go to college, having a roof over my head, having clothes, for coffee, etc.
Overall, just things/ people/ animals/ objects that make me happy. While it is good to write down new things every day,
I also feel like it’s good to have a general list. When you are in a bad
state, it’s hard to find things that are good at the moment. With this
page, you can look back at things you can’t think of at that moment.
2. Affirmations page
This page is one I use every day. I went on Pinterest and picked phrases that resonated the most with me. You can do it based on categories (self-love, relationships, financial prosperity), but when I did mine, I just wrote down a mix of phrases, and each morning I chose 5 to say out loud. It is a good way to start the day because it sets the intention and energy I have for that day.
3. Accomplishments
This page is perfect for someone who finds themselves feeling like they are a failure, does everything wrong, and just simply feels like they aren’t enough. I struggle with this constantly due to my perfectionist tendencies with the mixture of imposter syndrome. So listing out things that can be accomplishments, such as me being accepted into all the schools I ever wanted to in my life, getting a new internship, or even some of the feedback I get on my blog post can be considered an accomplishment for me. An accomplishment page is important to have as a reminder of all the great things that you are capable of doing and will remind you of them.
4. My toxic traits
This is a page I haven’t seen many people suggested to do but in my eyes, it is very essential to your growth. So for this page, I made a table with three columns. The first column is your toxic trait, the second column is why do you do this, and the third column is how to try to fix it. I only wrote down my top five toxic traits, but you can determine how many you want to include. For me, five with a good number. This is a good page to have because it allows you to address some things that aren’t so perfect about yourself. Yes, we should love our flaws, but we should also try to work on them, and being blunt about the aspects of ourselves that can be harmful is the first step of growth. You also want to know how you acquired this behavior in the first place because I’m honestly a believer that people don’t do things without a reason. There is always a reason, even if you can’t see it, so it allows you to think deeper into the issue. And with how to fix it, I feel like it’s hard to address and move forward from an issue without acknowledging actions you can take. You obviously can’t control everything, but you can control your reactions and your behaviors.
5.Dream Scripting Pages
This page differs from all the ones I mentioned thus far. This page isn’t focused on your present self but focused on where you want to be. This is a chance to analyze what you want outside of other people's opinions. Be honest about what you want for yourself. When you do this, make sure not to write anyone else’s dream but yours! Don’t write the version that maybe your family wants of you or a spouse or even your friends. It doesn’t have to be just in terms of career. It can also be the person you want to be in terms of personality, in terms of focus, and different aspects. This practice is common in many circles. When I read an article about the habits of a millionaire, this was one of them. A person needs to have some sort of direction. They don’t need to have it all figured out, but they should know what would make them happy. The thing about happiness is it's subjective. For some, it would be financial stability, and for others, it would be having recognition in some shape or category or would be just if they need to love their lives, etc. Not everyone will have the same version of happiness as you and you should determine that for yourself using this page.
6.Emotional Check-in Page
This is a page I recently added after my training. This one is interesting to me because I remember in elementary school when there were these signs with different faces to identify your mood. The teachers would use the signs for young students specifically before second grade. This exercise teaches them how to identify how they’re feeling. When I think about it, I wonder why we stopped doing that because we now, as adults, don’t check in on ourselves. We wait until someone asks how we are doing and cover up our emotions because in society, showing emotions was said as a sign of weakness. So when someone asks if we are sure we are okay, that’s when we break down and express how we’re feeling. Instead of waiting, I drew a thermometer on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being “I am feeling great today” and 10 beings “I am exploding out of control”. I also included a couple of questions on the side for me to check in with myself properly.
Why is it important to journal?
This excerpt is gonna be short because I explained most of my journaling journey in the previous one, but I also wanted to include why it’s been so important for me to have a journal. There are a lot of people who are similar to me in the sense that I struggle with being vulnerable. I am also a person who has a lot of thoughts, and journaling for me has been an on and off- type journey. I started to journal again this year because I got this journal in October. I used it from the beginning around October/November 2020, but around December 2020, it was a whole standstill for my journey. I honestly do think the aspect of journaling has helped me think more clearly and helped me recognize myself better than I did before. The thing about wellness and self-care is you have to know who you are to grow from it, and that is always a goal for me. So the pages I’ve written have been very effective due to it not being a traditional journaling experience. I haven’t seen many people try the method that I did, and honestly, journaling is so personal. So what works for me won’t always work for everyone, but I also feel like it’s worth sharing. My journaling has helped me realize a lot of my habits and also recognize the good and the bad aspects of me. Not a lot of people are ready to confront their bad aspects, and in a lot of people’s journaling tips, they more so use it for manifestations. Manifestations are where you have to focus on all the good, but in my eyes, you can’t get the good without addressing the bad. Life is a balance, so you have to call out both, and that’s what I think a personal development journal does.
That is all for today and I hope you found this helpful. Remember to subscribe to my Youtube channel, and follow my Instagram and Twitter to connect and stay up to date. I am excited about next week's blog post so make sure you come back next Saturday. Until then, there’s a lot more content on my youtube channel. I hope you have a good day, evening or night.
Until next time,
xoxo Lay 💋