How To Start Journaling For Beginners

Journaling as a beginner can seem quite daunting. Especially if you’ve tried time and time again, and can’t seem to remain consistent.

Don’t worry. Many people have felt this way before.

It may sound silly to write out your thoughts, but if you remain consistent, journaling can be a great tool and practice that can help you overcome a lot of challenges in your life, along with gaining a better understanding of yourself.

If you’re new to journaling or have tried many times before, it can be difficult to know where to start and how to keep going.

In this blog post, we’ll cover the basics of journaling, how to start journaling for beginners, and how to keep it going.

What is Journaling

Journaling is a practice that involves writing down your innermost thoughts and feelings on a regular basis. Journaling is a great way to release repressed emotions, track your progress, and gain clarity on your thoughts and feelings.

It’s another way to express yourself without any form of judgment. Another way to practice self-love.

By taking the time to reflect on your thoughts and feelings, you’re able to gain a better understanding of what makes you happy, sad, or upset, and allows you to learn and gain a deeper understanding of yourself.

Benefits of Journaling

Regular journaling can have many benefits such as aiding in your mental health, as research has shown that journaling can reduce anxiety and depression, improve emotional well-being, improve self-awareness, and regulate mood.

It can also help you accept your negative emotions and situations a lot easier, rather than judge them, as research has also shown that accepting negative emotional experiences can help reduce negative affect. When you are able to accept your negative emotions and situations, you can ultimately reduce the impact they may have and reduce the chances of developing depressive symptoms.

As an avid journal writer, I can say that journaling has helped me become much more emotionally aware and helped me to accept my negative emotions and negative situations much easier, allowing me to let go and move forward in life.

So don’t be nervous to let it out on paper, as journaling for beginners can be a great new form of release.

When to Journal

Journaling can be done at any time, but it’s best to find a time that works for you and make it part of your daily or weekly routine. It can be done a few times a week, however, it’s best to make it a daily practice, to form it into a habit. Even if it’s just a sentence a day. Start getting into the habit of writing every day.

If you choose to journal first thing in the morning, it can help set the tone for the day and allow you to get all of your thoughts and feelings out before starting your day. Whereas journaling at night can help you reflect on your day, process any emotions you may be feeling, and help you wind down before bed.

However, it is important to note that if you decide to journal in the morning, be sure to end your journaling session on a positive note so that you continue your day positively.

Journaling before bed would be great for anyone that would like to gain a better understanding of their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. As mentioned earlier, gaining a better understanding can help improve your self-awareness, which is very important for self-development.

If you’re not sure when is the best time for you to journal, don’t be afraid to experiment and find what works best for you. It doesn’t have to be at a strict time of day. Again, just make the effort to do it every day.

How to Start Journaling for Beginners 

Journaling can be done in a number of ways, as there are no specific rules. You can journal in a notebook, on paper, or digitally on your smartphone or tablet. However, research has shown that physically writing in a notebook can have a positive effect on your higher brain functions such as memory, visual imagery, and language during the retrieval of specific information. Meaning you’ll have an easier time recalling what happened during the day, making it easier to reflect.

If you choose to journal digitally, be sure to find a platform that is easy and comfortable for you to use so that you’re more likely to stick with it.

I personally prefer to journal in my notebook as I find it much more effective and it allows me to take my time and really reflect on my experiences throughout the day and what I’m feeling during that moment. In addition, physically writing in a notebook gives me the opportunity to express myself with my style of writing.

Once you’ve selected your choice of journal, you can start by writing about your day and if anything significant happened.

If that doesn’t work, then try one of the following prompts:

• The one thing I would like to remember from today is …… because ……
• I felt that today was a(n) …… day because ……
• 5 things that made me feel good were …… How can I do them again?
• Something I did differently today was ……
• I am grateful for ……

No matter the prompt, just focus on getting into the practice of journaling, as it is a habit.

All Things Considered

Journaling is a great tool to help you discover your deepest thoughts and feelings. Getting to know yourself on such an intimate level will not only help you improve emotionally and mentally but it can also help you to build more stable and meaningful relationships.

Journaling is a practice that should be done daily or a least a few times a week.

If you’re ever feeling lost, uncertain, or just need some guidance, know that your journal will always be there for you.