Why I journal
I've always found it incredibly helpful to take moments throughout my day to journal. Sometimes in a diary, sometimes in my phone notes and sometimes on a scrap piece of paper. It doesn't matter so much where I write... it's more about the process and release.
Writing is a great way to open up, talk things over with yourself, explore how you're feeling and reveal what's actually going on in our lives. Honest, unedited writing brings clarity, responsibility and relief!
Give it a go! It doesn't have to be much... sometimes I just scribble down my feelings, other times I write a description of what's happening in a moment (literally, as I experience it). You can keep it, burn it...whatever feels right for you.
Journal ideas
1) Scribs a.k.a. scribbles
Scribs happen when they happen - morning, during the day or evening. Sometimes they’re poetic but I don’t cling to any style or framework. They’re generally short, sharp, accounts of a moment in time- with each line describing how it made me feel - emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually. They don’t need to make sense…but somehow they just do. Scribs are like snap shots of moments. They are not stories. It’s more like describing a photo - the colours, the weather, the sounds, the way it makes you feel, what you noticed, how your body felt - it could be loving and expansive moment or an anxious, confusing, fucking annoyance (at yourself or someone else). PIN POINT a moment and explore it.
When and why I use this style: This style of writing is my GO-TO when I’m FEELING, just feeling a lot. I write scribs in my iPhone notes because these kinda moments are spontaneous and in my experience you can only really capture the essence when you’re IN IT or close to it. Scribs help me explore the FULL range of my emotions - positively and negatively as a kinda non judgement art form. It helps me to find gratitude for all the moments I live in my live.
Click here to view some of the Scribs I’ve written.
2) Memoirs
A memoir (US: /ˈmemwɑːr/; from French: mémoire: memoria, meaning memory or reminiscence) is a collection of memories that an individual writes about moments or events, both public or private, that took place in the subject's/person's life.
This is a classic ‘Dear Diary, today….” style entry. These kinda pages can be written morning or evening. I usually write my daily pages at night from bed - to recount, reflect on my day and review my conduct. Sometimes just recounting the day is a challenge in itself! The sooner you begin writing, the better! I’ve got journal entries and stories from when I was 5 years old…and it’s incredibly entertaining and reminiscent.
When and Why I use this style: Testing my memory helps me check-in to see how present/ mindful I was in my interactions. I.e. can I remember what I ate for breakfast? Can I recall the people I saw that day? Can I remember something someone told me about how they were going? Do I remember what I thought about that day? etc etc.
According to psychologists and researchers, writing a memoir—even just for personal consumption—can help the us review and make sense of our lives, come to terms with traumatic events and foster personal growth.
3) WTF pages
WTF pages don’t happen every day - but boy, when they do! haha. These are the kinda pages I write when life throws me a curve ball, hits me down, pisses me off, and makes me fucking angry and annoyed. Whatever is on my mind. It’s about listening to my thoughts and transcribing what I hear - without judgement. I just scribble it down onto paper. And I GO. I write until I find my natural conclusion, natural relief - until I’ve run out of ‘Fuck you’s’. Go to town here - it’s actually pretty fun. And it allllll comes out - the insecurities, the vulnerabilities, the things I wanted to say but didn’t, the devastation, the grief…. all of it.
It’s important to keep these pages private - or burn them. As you can imagine, in the heat of the moment, our inner critic runs WILD and often says impulsive, nasty things that aren’t actually true. It’s not about the words so much as it is about the process of release. When I was 15, I wrote a FULL ON anger letter that revealed my darkest inner critic thoughts and angst against my family and ex boyfriend. I remember feeling so misunderstood and alone. I snuck out my window and ran down to the beach to clear my head. My parents found my anger letter and thought it was suicide note….. yep…. you can imagine the chaos that followed. Meanwhile, I was down the beach having a moment to myself feeling a lot better, relieved and empowered. When I came home I tried to explain to my parents what they read but it was kinda difficult. SO - long story short, your shit is your shit and I highly recommend you get rid of it - burn it or whatever.
When and Why I use this style: I feel like by getting it all out of my system I am acknowledging HOW I actually feel and sometimes that is enough for me to find resolution, relief and to move on! I hear myself. I see myself. I am listening and I am open. Sometimes we’re not fully aware of how much we are processing - how much is actually going on in our lives (the constant change!) But we must process it whether we like it or not. There are times when life pushes us to explore emotions that make us feel uncomfortable, confused, deep sorrow and anger. But even all that, is love. I believe experiencing the full range of emotions is gratitude for the gift of life - to be in and touch it all. I am alive.
4) Dreams
I loveeeee to write my dreams down. I’m quite a visual and lucid dreamer so I write them in my journals first thing in the morning whilst they’re fresh in my mind. They don’t need to make sense and I don’t edit them - keep them weird and wonderful.
When and Why I use this style: I read over my dreams to get clarity and learn about some of the inner conflicts subconsciously on in my mind. Every now and then I have dreams of realistic events that don’t make sense because they haven’t happened yet. The ol’ psychic premonitions. And I LOVE revisiting old journals for some of this magic. Not to be taken lightly - I have pre-written boyfriends, jobs, travel and even my brother’s death. Not that I believe we can change destiny…we can’t control others… however, it helps me to understand the emotional undercurrent of my life at given times. You can read more about some of the types of dreams I have noticed here.
5) Scripting
SUPER FUN AND CREATIVE! Scripting is essentially the screenplay of your future that you create with intention. I loooveee it. I did this A LOT whilst I was in Costa Rica and six months later I can vouch that I am living fully in the vision I wrote for myself. It’s like vision boarding and setting goals. It’s all about clarity and focus.
When and Why I use this style: I script when I feel inspired because that it when my imagination is at it’s most expansive. Nothing is impossible and creativity lets me explore options and scenarios that I might have thought ‘too unrealistic’ before. We should never limit our visions!! Who knows how things come to manifest….