From quill and ink pots to locked teenage diaries to modern journaling apps, the act of writing our daily thoughts is timeless.
Journaling not only creates a record, it also is one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve mental health, according to WebMD. Just writing down thoughts and feelings about daily life can help people manage their emotions, according to the University of Rochester. Others use journaling to organize their lives.
“There are so many ways that writing can facilitate a person's life, their well-being, their sense of meaning, their physical health,” saysLaura King, a professor of psychology at the University of Missouri with an interest in personality psychology.
King is known for her landmark 2001“Best Possible Self” journaling technique,where individuals journaled for 20 minutesfour days a weekabout their best selves. Participants showed better health and well-being, enhanced positive mood, improved academic performance and progress on daily goals.
“One of my favorite things about journaling is how you can start with a totally blank notebook and one pen,” says Emily Datz, a social media journaler in Columbia.
Want to pick up a pen and start writing? Here are some of the most common forms of journaling, plus tips for getting started.
Bullet journaling
If you're feeling unorganized and want to set intentions, consider a bullet journal. It is a great tool for tracking habits, keeping a calendar, budgeting and setting goals.
This form became popular in 2013 on bulletjournal.com,a website launched by founder Ryder Carol. He used it to help manage his ADHD, but others transformed the idea for other situations. Bullet journals include trackers and logs that you create to fit your goals. Some popular layouts include habit trackers, meal planning, sleep tracking and weekly spreads to help organize time each day.
Bullet journaling doesn’t have to be fancy, but you can allow your creative self to shine. With washi tape, colorful pens and calligraphy, your journal can look like a work of art. And if that’s not your jam, keep it low-maintenance and focus on the intentions behind the practice instead of aesthetics.
“It's very soothing and calming to be able to sit down and make something look really pretty, then also know that I'm going to use that to look back on things, or reflect or plan for things that are coming in the future,” says Datz, who posts her bullet journals on Instagram asThe Paperback Planner. “I think it all works together really well to keep that anxiety part of me calm.”
Junk journaling
Junk journaling is the Type B little sister to bullet journaling’s Type A older sibling. It’s all about saving small items that might seem like trash, but really are mementos from days you want to remember.
Unlike bullet journaling, junk journaling focuses on memorializing the present, rather than making plans. By keeping the receipt from your dinner date, the ticket stub to your last concert or the sleeve from your to-go coffee cup, you can create pages full of reminders from your best days.
The next time you’re printing out pictures, consider throwing a few in a blank notebook and voila, you’re on your way to a junk journal.
The important thing about junk journaling is that there is no such thing as perfection or specific organization rules. As you preserve those tokens that you can’t let go of, think about what they mean to you and just place them on the page. Don’t think twice — just do.
Gratitude journaling
Gratitude journaling is just what it sounds like: identifying what you’re grateful for. It’s about taking a moment to reflect and see life’s smaller details in a positive light.
One of the easiest ways to start a gratitude journal is to set aside five minutes in the morning or at night to list moments or people from the day that affected your life in a good way, according to Calm.com. This can help shift your mindset to see what is working even when it feels as though everything has gone awry. Calm advises to consider the four "A"s: appreciation, acknowledgement, admiration and affection to start writing.
Guided journaling
Guided journalinguses prompts to direct your writing toward a purpose. It can be less overwhelming than trying to think of where to start on your own and allows you to sink into writing without the stress of a decision.
Licensed counselor and art therapist Hayley Wildssays this type of journaling is well-liked as an avenue to reduce stress, improve self-esteem, increase mindfulness and improve your overall mood. It also establishes a regular writing routine and doesn’t ask much of you as you work your way up to another kind of journal.
Allow your mind to take a break as you dive into this kind of journaling. You don’t have to go in order of the prompts — start wherever you feel most comfortable.
Stream of consciousness journaling
This “dear diary” type of journaling is opening to a blank page and dumping all thoughts in your brain onto paper. Stream of consciousness journaling is helpful for people who want to reflect and feel lighter after they’re done.
“I think that it's really been beneficial for me to be able to get all the thoughts out of my head and not have to hold them in my brain all the time,” says Anna McAnnally, avid journaler and English doctoral student at MU.
Think of the piece of paper being a judgment-free zone. Anything and everything you write will be there for you — and you only — with no one to say anything about it. The floor is yours.
“That's one of my favorite things about journaling, is it can be so different for every person and so unique to what works for you, and it can still provide the same benefits,” Datz says.
