We all have times in our lives when we don’t want to share our thoughts with anyone. It also happens many times, there are many thoughts in my mind but I don’t know which one to think about first. Work pressure, family worries, worry about the future or any small incident can make us upset. Keeping these things to yourself sometimes makes you feel more restless. In such a situation, the practice of writing down one’s thoughts can come in handy. This practice is called journaling.
Journaling means writing down your thoughts, feelings, daily events or small life experiences in a diary or notebook. There are no rules that need to be written very nicely. Not to write in English or to write long sentences. You can write as you like. Even those who have never done journaling before can start this habit very easily.
What is journaling and why?
Many people think that in order to do journaling, you have to write down all the events of your life in detail every day. But this is not the case. You can write just a good incident of the day if you want, or you can also write what is going on in your mind.
Suppose you are upset today. But you can’t explain why you feel bad. At such times you can write down your thoughts in the notebook. Writing can sometimes help you understand your thoughts and feelings a little more clearly.
Another good thing about journaling is that you can notice small changes in your life. It can be helpful to understand what things you used to think more about before, how you feel about that thing now, what things make you happy. However, journaling does not solve all problems. It is a simple practice to understand one’s feelings.
1. First choose a notebook
You don’t need to buy an expensive diary to start journaling. You can start with a simple notebook at home. If you want, you can also write in the mobile note app. It is better to use the method which seems easier to him.Many people buy beautiful diaries but never start writing. So start writing with what you have at hand without thinking of buying a lot in the beginning.
If you like to write on paper, you can keep a separate notebook. And if you feel comfortable writing on mobile then write there. But if you write your personal words, take care of the privacy of the account or phone.
2. Write for a short time each day
After starting journaling, many people want to write a lot on the first day. But after a few days, he stopped writing because he didn’t have time. So there is no need to write much in the beginning.
Set aside five minutes every day. You can write after waking up in the morning, and you can also write before going to sleep at night. Choose the time that is convenient for you.
Suppose, before going to sleep at night, you write how your day was, what you liked and what you disliked. These few words are enough to get started.
There is no need to blame yourself if you don’t have time. Start again the next day. Journaling is not a test that must be written every day. Rather, it is better to make it a habit that you yourself enjoy doing.
3. If you don’t know what to write, start with simple questions
The biggest problem for beginners is not knowing what to write after opening the notebook. Sometimes there are many things in mind, but nothing comes to mind while writing. If so, you can ask yourself a few simple questions.
For example:
– How was my day today?
– What made me happy today?
– What is my concern?
– What did I learn today?
– What work do I want to do tomorrow?
These questions should be answered in one or two lines. Answers to all questions are not to be written every day. Choose the question that seems important to you.
As you can write, today felt a bit tired all day. Didn’t want to do anything. But enjoyed spending some time with family in the afternoon. This should be written in simple words.
4. Write your thoughts in your own way
Don’t worry too much about writing language while journaling. Whether the spelling is wrong or not, whether the sentence is beautiful or not, what other people will think if they read it,If you think about these things, you can’t write your own words easily.
You can write the way you speak. If you are upset, write that too. If you are angry about something, you can also write that feeling. Also write down any small incident that makes you happy.
Journaling is mainly for yourself. So there is no need to write beautifully to show someone else. However, it is better to be careful about writing down someone else’s personal information during anger or something that may cause problems later.
It is not always necessary to write positive words. There are bad days in life. Writing down the feelings of those days is also a part of one’s experience.
5. You can write down things you are grateful for
We often think more about what we don’t have, what we didn’t get or what we couldn’t do in life. Small good things are not noticed.
So if you want, you can write three things in a journal every day that you are grateful for. For example, spending quality time with family members, eating favorite food, talking with friends or getting some rest after a long day of work.
These may seem like very simple things. But it can help to develop a habit of noticing the positive aspects of your life.
If you can’t find three things any day, write one. There is no need to forcefully write anything. Just write according to your feelings.
6. Write down your small goals
Journaling can be used not only to write down thoughts, but also to plan your work. If you want to create a new habit, focus on your studies or use your time well, you can write down small goals.
For example, tomorrow I will read a book for 20 minutes, clean the house, take a short walk or finish a task that has been put off for a long time.
Here it is better to write small and realistic goals than to write big goals. Because always planning to do many things at once can feel stressful later.
At the end of the day, if you want, you can see which tasks you have done and which ones are left. Don’t feel like a failure if you can’t finish a task. You can change the plan for the next day by understanding why you couldn’t do it.
7. Continue the habit even if you don’t write every dayInterest may wane after a few days of starting journaling. Sometimes you will be busy, sometimes you will not want to write. It’s normal. In that case there is no need to give up the whole habit.
You can write three days a week if you want. Some days you can finish writing just two lines. Make a simple rule that fits your lifestyle.
Sometimes you can also read old texts. It can help you understand changes in your thinking or preferences. But if you feel uncomfortable reading old texts, then there is no rule that you have to read them.
last word
Journaling doesn’t require any special skills or a lot of time to start. All you need is a simple notebook, a pen and a few minutes to yourself to get started. Don’t worry if you don’t know what to write at first. Write down a small incident of the day or a word that comes to mind.
Not every day will be the same. One day you will want to write a lot, and another day you may not feel like writing anything. Build the habit slowly without forcing yourself.
The most important thing is to value your feelings and take some time to understand yourself. Journaling can become a small habit in your daily life,Where you can write freely.
