Starting a journal is a great New Years resolution that can leave you feeling at peace and in tune with your emotions. Many of us worry that a journal will be too time-consuming for our busy schedules. It’s not always about finding the time…it’s about making the time. Your time spent journaling is time dedicated to your wellness. After a few weeks of journaling, it will start to become a natural habit. There are so many different ways to start a wellness journal, and the great thing about it is that it will be personalized entirely to your needs and talents. Check out some of our suggestions to help you get started:
Keep it to yourself.
To get the most out of your wellness journal, it should be something you can completely open up to, don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. We encourage you to keep it in a safe place where you won’t lose track of it yet you won’t have to worry about curious eyes. You may find your writing to be more honest if you know you don’t have an outside audience. Being honest with yourself is an important element in the journaling process. Through your journaling journey, you may find moments where sharing your thoughts on a blank page isn’t cutting it. If you do feel the desire to share your thoughts with someone, make sure it’s a person you trust and are willing to let into your heart.
Don’t be intimidated.
Bullet journaling is extremely popular right now, and for good reason. There are gorgeous bullet journals all over Pinterest and Instagram with delicate flower borders and organized monthly schedules. They can be inspiring, but also a little intimidating. If you aren’t an artist or if you don’t have time to create such intricate details, don’t be afraid to journal another way! Bullet journaling isn’t for everyone. If you do decide to give it a try, remember that whatever you write or draw is for you, and not for anyone else.
Stay consistent.
One of the keys to becoming a successful journalist is by making a habit out of it, find time either at the beginning or end of each day. Make it a part of your morning meditation or nightly routine. If you try journaling in the middle of the day, it will be tricky to navigate through other obligations that pop up. Stay consistent with your time and try to jot something down each day! Even just a sentence or two can help you relax and implement the routine.
Go ahead and ramble.
The best part about keeping a personal journal? It doesn’t matter what you write! You can format your journal entries as letters or Q&A sessions, or even write as much as you can think of for 10 minutes. Whatever makes you feel the most comfortable with yourself is what you should stick with. The beginning of your journaling journey is a great time to experiment with different journal prompts or methods.
Dive deeper!
A wellness journal is meant to help you understand yourself and promote self-love. If you need a boost to get you started on your wellness journey, we recommend answering a few of these self-discovery questions from Lavendaire. We also really enjoyed expanding on these personal prompts from Misty Sansom. If some questions are too hard to answer right now, that’s okay! Just choose one or two prompts to follow and see where it leads. You might be surprised by how much you can write on only one topic.
Personalize it!
Starting a wellness journal can mean many things. You could keep track of your fitness and eating habits to stay on target with your goals, or you can reflect on each day to find what you can improve on tomorrow. However you choose to prioritize your wellness, just be sure to personalize it! This can mean finding a journal that reflects your personality, adding photos or fun quotes on each page, or just writing a letter to your future-self in each entry.
Here are a few of our favorite journal recommendations to help you get started!
- Free printable wellness journal from Sunny Day Family.
- Paris Notebook from Cavallini & Co.
- Desert Garden Wood Journal from Cardtorial.
- Illustrated Nature Notebook from Boygirlparty.
- Leather Bound Blank Journal from Evzinc.
- Tree of Life Diary by Peter Pauper Press.
- The Bullet Journal Notebook from The Bullet Journal Store.
If you have experience with journaling already, please give us your suggestions and advice in the comments below! We know journaling is a tried-and-true form of meditation that can keep you grounded and focused on what really matters. This is a New Years resolution you’ll definitely want to keep!
