Yup, I do too, but I was never sure where to start. I always felt self-conscious of it, a bit awkward and generally hesitate because of I thought I had to justify why I was doing this and I kept putting up barriers.
Journaling is not a bad thing to do you should feel liberated that you can get your words out on paper, my barriers held me back and forced me into not to journaling.
However, I have finally bit the bullet as it were and I have started my first journal. Funnily enough, it was easier then I had thought. I picked a notebook off the shelf – one of the many that I have been hoarding – and started. My first entry was my reflection on the past 10 years and how far I have come.
Now, this sounds super simple and the truth of it is that it actually took a bit longer for me to get into a place where I felt that I could journal.
For some time I have been following a wonderful person called Pachet. She is a journaler! She has journaled for years and though everything she has done in her life and her mission is to get others to reflect on their life and journal their journey. She is incredibly positive and a force of good vibes.
I love the positive energy that she puts out there and the advice that she gives. If you haven’t followed her blog then get your butt over there and follow it! It’s The Enduring Optimist. Tell her I sent you.
Now my journey has taken a bit longer then it should really have but this week I have been on Pinterest looking for ways to start a journal. I thought there has to be someone out there that has got a simple way to start a journal and defeat the first blank page.
I have read loads of blogs and articles about it and I think I have come up with a formula for me that will help me start each entry and hopefully this will develop over time and you never know I may be back with another post about how I journal in future. But for the time begin my entries are going to go a little something like this;
- Write the date, day & time
- Write where you are
- What the weather’s like or something about the season
- Write how you’re feeling physically
- Finally, start writing about your thoughts, feeling, emotions, or what’s on your mind.
I might even write about the day’s events if I am journaling in the evening and then segue into how I feel about them. I am especially needing this with planning a wedding I need to keep myself in check and that I am not going bridal crazy.
Now it was time to write so I grabbed a pen.
And my journal, I have the A5.
And I started to write. I did feel a little overwhelmed to begin with but I set a timer for 10 minutes and just wrote. It was surprising how easy I found this and I actually went over the time – only by 2/3 mins but still I finished my first entry and felt better for it. You also may find that once you start, you don’t want to stop after 10 minutes. In that case, keep going! Get it out and off your chest! You’ll feel better for it, trust me.
So have you started a journal? What’s it like? Do you have a set time you journal or do you go with the flow? Let me know in the comments below or tag me on Instagram – @planningwithsam
Stay positive guys, you can do this!
