The Beginners Guide to Journaling

So you want to get into journaling but don't know where to start?

How to start journaling, and what to journal about.

So you've probably seen me, or other therapists on instagram, talk about the benefits of journaling and how helpful journaling can be. But maybe you're one of those people who've tried journaling in the past to no avail, or you've bought lots of journals in the past but they're getting dusty on some random shelf. You know there's potential benefits of journaling, but aren't sure how to actually see those benefits come to fruition.

Benefits

Reduced Stress

Writing down and exploring your feelings is a low energy way to intentionally creating space to slow dowwwwnnn. Connect to yourself and identify areas that are causing you stress, anxiety, depression, or even areas that are making you feel more creative, excited, carefree.

Better Sleep

Writing down your thoughts and feelings right before bed is a great way to put those thoughts out of your mind so that you can get some restful sleep. In therapy, we call this a "Brain Dump", and it's helpful to do this in an area that is not your bed, so you can figuratively leave your stress away from bedtime.

Self-Confidence and Intentionality

Journaling helps you process your goals, feelings, and dreams. Taking time to intentionally discovering what you're currently doing that aligns with your vision for life can be super helpful. Also, spending time reflecting on how your daily activities are aligning with your overall vision for your life can greatly help you stay in the direction you want to go.

How to Start

The best way to start journaling is to just... start.

There's a lot of different kinds of journaling you can do, whether that's freeform, paragraph style, poetry, to-do lists, gratitudes, or following a specific reflection exercise. I like to recommend starting with finding a prompt (check out my instagram!) and then answering the question and letting yourself take it from there. Once you get the hang of that, then you can start to incorporate weekly or daily reflection via journaling into your routine. Sometimes it's helpful to do daily gratitudes in the morning or evening, or writing down your goals and how you're currently pursuing them.

Check out our instagram for more daily tips and tricks for journaling and how to incorporate it into your daily life.

You Got This.

Samantha Hoover, MS, LPC

Thorn & Rose Counseling, PLLC

Samantha Hoover Counseling