On our growth journey to happiness, we get caught up in multitasking almost every day, with the stress of it all. We tend to have countless things to achieve daily that can impact our emotional state. It gets challenging and overwhelming!

Like me, have you considered practising self-care and improving your wellbeing? Do you always have a lot going on that you don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, I’ve got you!

One way to enhance your life satisfaction is journaling as a self-care activity. What’s journaling? Journaling is the practice of recording thoughts, feelings, experiences, and personal insights in a written format, fostering self-expression and reflection. It is a simple and powerful tool to help you gain insight into yourself, track your progress and strengthen your internal resilience.

In this post, I will discuss the importance of journaling as a technique you can incorporate into your daily routine to improve your life satisfaction and wellbeing.

If you are ready to incorporate this practice in your daily routine, follow these simple steps:

• Identify your purpose for journaling
• Choose the method that suits you
• Find what works for you
  

1. Identify the purpose of your journaling

The first step to journaling is to know why you want to start the practice of journaling. What motivates you? This is very essential to narrow down your daily intentions. Knowing why you want to start this journey will help you stay focused and achieve your goals.

How do you identify your purpose? You can find out what you need by asking yourself this question: What part of your life journaling is going to serve? You can practice journaling to record your thoughts and feelings as a private medium for self-reflection and emotional release, an inspirational outlet for creating new ideas, or even documenting your day-to-day activities. Whatever it is, journaling is your answer.

You can start journaling for as many purposes as you have as long as it’s clear in your mind. You can use a journal to document your positive affirmations as part of daily routine.

In my case, I recently started a journal to record my emotions and creative ideas. It’s helped me focus, celebrate the good things in my life, and keep track of ideas I would have forgotten had I not recorded them.

2. Choose the method that suits you 

There are a variety of options available out there that you can choose from if you are starting to journal. That’s why finding a suitable method can be overwhelming.

How do you find the suitable method for you?

Take a moment to think back. How do you like to record things or events in your life? Are you traditional or techy in your choices?

Once you know the response to this question, it’s up to you to choose from:

• Option 1: Writing using a pen and a paper
• Option 2: Writing using a digital diary.
• Option 3: Voice recording if you find writing arduous or prefer speaking aloud.

The whole point here is to make the journaling process as enjoyable and beneficial as possible to you. So, it would help if you took your time deciding so you can commit to this behaviour.

3. Find what works for you 

Regularly journaling is challenging because sometimes priorities shift, and a busy life gets in our way. But don’t worry! There is a way around it. Like with any behaviour, it can become second nature to us if we are consistent.

So, how to train? I would say to set a specific time aside each day for you to journal to create a consistent habit, like drinking water every day. When is the best time to journal? Well, anytime that works best for you.

Tip 1: Choose any regular time that works for you. Whether it’s starting your day with a cup of coffee and your notebook first thing in the morning, during your commute to work, during your lunch break or at the end of your day with a quiet moment of reflection, go for it.

Tip 2: Set an alarm if that helps your purpose, especially if you are new to this. This will remind you to journal even when hectic.

Tip 3: Whatever you choose, be realistic. What time of the day is achievable? For example, if your mornings are very hectic with the school run, I recommend finding a more convenient time, like before the kids are awake or when you get some alone time during your commute to work. You see where I’m going here.

The point here is to find a time that will work for you on a regular basis. Remember that finding the best slot for you will help build your consistent habit. So, be consistent in your efforts.

Tip 4: Start small and make your way up to longer sessions. Journaling can be overwhelming if you are new to the practice. You can start with just ten minutes a day, training your brain to record with focus and efficiency, even in a short amount of time. Once you’ve created the habit, you can increase your time writing over time.

The goal here is to create a habit that you can build on day by day and week by week. So, no rush.

Tip 5: Write whatever comes to mind. No need to focus on the structure or perfection in mind as it will make you feel liberated. There is no perfect structure. So, just follow the flow and let the words come to you naturally.

Tip 6: Always reflect on your previous entries regularly. It will help you see your past accomplishments and milestones. It’s important because this is the piece of information that will genuinely show you how far you’ve come and grown. Remember, these entries are meaningful to you. Therefore, they give you access to your state of mind at the time of the recording. It will provide you with a deeper understanding of yourself.

Bottom line

Journaling can be an immensely valuable part of your daily routine as it helps to capture and make sense of the thoughts in your mind. It will allow you to better understand yourself and enable your growth mindset.

This practice can be easily incorporated into your daily routine with time and consistent efforts. Practising journalling and following this guide will help you create a better understanding of yourself, enabling a growth mindset. So, take some “me time” every day and document your journey!

I hope these tips encourage you to start journaling and help you grow!!