Healing Tools & Wellness Practices
How to Get Started Journaling?
Journaling is a simple way to explore your thoughts, feelings, goals, and experiences. There is no right or wrong way to begin – just find an approach that feels comfortable for you. Try free writing, writing a letter, setting goals, tracking something important to you, or using a journal prompt to get your thoughts flowing. The most important thing is to give yourself space to write openly and see where it takes you.
Ideas for Journaling…
Set a timer for 5, 10, 20 minutes and let your thoughts flow. Do not write with a goal in mind, just write for the sake of writing. You may notice this is difficult at first, you may repeat yourself if you get blocked, or not know what to write. If this happens, take a deep breath, and keep writing your thoughts and feelings. Nothing is off limits; it is a safe space to get your thoughts out of your head and onto paper. When you are through, read what you have written and highlight any notable things.
Write a letter with no intention to sending it to the person or people you wrote it to. If you are going through a divorce, breakup, or healing trauma related to a relationship, write a letter to the person involved. (Reminder: DO NOT SEND IT). It can be helpful to write the letter, read it aloud to yourself or a trusted friend, then burn it or rip it up. If you are dealing with loss or death, write a letter telling the person who has passed how you feel, what you miss, what you learned, what you forgive or can’t forgive, and how they’ll live on through you.
These letters are for you. If you are dealing with addiction, fear, anxiety, grief or depression, write a letter to these symptoms. Tell your anxiety to get lost, your addiction to leave you alone, your depression to move on. If you are looking for motivation, write a letter to joy, positivity and determination to invite them into your life.
Write a personal statement or declaration of what you stand for, your core values, and a call to willingly act on your beliefs. Focusing on how you intend to live your life can help give your life meaning and direction. Dedicate some time to thinking and writing out your priorities.
Write Yourself a Birthday Card
Write a birthday letter to yourself with your personal dreams, desires, and goals for the next one, five, or ten years of your life. Write down any insights or life lessons from the previous year that your want your future self to remember. Address it to yourself and sign it. Keep it somewhere safe and open it on your birthday for a check in. Birthdays can be a time to reflect and consider if you are living the life you dreamed of.
Write Your Goals or Dreams
Creating and nurturing goals is one of the best uses of journaling. Set some goals using a list format and watch your dreams become reality. Begin by writing down three to five big life goals. For each big goal, write down three to five small things you can do each day to support and work towards those bigger ideas. Remember SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant to your life, and Time bound.
Keep a Focus Journal
Begin to track your personal process by creating a focus journal to keep track of anything you’d like to shift in your life. Keeping track of exercise, adding cultural practices, tracking your feelings, and gratitude journals will assist you in motivation and accountability.
Use Journal Prompts
Sometimes it can be difficult to know where to begin when writing. Using journal prompts like those included in this website can help you get started. Later go back and read what you have written and highlight any insights and actions required. Some examples of prompts are provided below.
Use these journal prompts to begin writing your ideas:
- What would I do if I knew I could not fail?
- Imagine you got a whole day to do everything you love. What would this day look like?
- The best adventure I ever had began when…
- If I wait to be ready, I will never…
