Sometimes I look outside on a sunny morning, and I feel the irresistible urge to grab my journal, a pen and a coffee and plonk myself down on a seat at my outside table to tell my “diary” about what's happening in my life. Funny how a sunny day can inspire you to share your thoughts.
My advice though is - don’t be a fair-weather friend to your journal – whilst it is wonderful to share the momentous memories and the joyful and most exciting moments; journalling throughout some of the most chaotic, saddest, or tumultuous times of life can not only be an emotional salve but also offers one opportunity for reflection and a road to clarity of thought.
Did you know Marie Curie’s journals were Radioactive or that Leonardo Da Vinci wrote a journal which could only be read in a mirror? It is rumoured that Einstein kept a very messy journal filled with his groundbreaking ideas (there was probably a fair share of mundane ones too)?
- YPRL Staff
Research has shown that expressive writing (a form of journalling) improves long-term mental health outcomes for psychological AND physical wellbeing. An example of this is significant improvement in lung functioning in asthma sufferers, and reduced hospitalizations for those with cystic fibrosis. Find out more here!
I encourage you to also have a think about the role of journalling in your life. A journal can be whatever you want it to be; it does not have to be a daily habit although some will encourage this in a Goal-Setting Journal. If you are looking for some inspiration for a holiday a vision board styled journal may work for you, or you could create yourself a travel journal to document your travels.
The Journal Writers Companion is a compendium which invites the reader to explore the ways journals can enrich our lives, providing us pathways to achieving goals and discovering purpose in our world.
A mix of psychological reasoning and explicit guidance, this book introduces multiple journalling styles. It is also where I learned the random facts about the above famous journal writers of the past and more.
Books to Explore:
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You may like to try recording your dreams; The Mindful way to a Good nights sleep – Discover How to Use Dreamwork, Meditation, and Journaling to Sleep Deeply and Wake Up Well provides ideas of how to use journalling to assist you to find a road into your sub-conscious thoughts.
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Do you love crafting? A mixed-media journal could be a way of expressing your artistic creativity as well as reflection of your thoughts. Creative Wanderlust – Unlock your artistic potential through mixed-media art journaling techniques provides ideas and projects that you can follow as you begin your artistic journalling journey.
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Journal with Purpose – Layout ideas 101 and Creative Journaling – A guide to over 100 techniques and ideas for amazing dot grid, junk, mixed-media and travel pages give guidance of layout ideas and writing prompts to help inspire you if you are feeling stuck.
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For the more adventurous of us, Collecting Moments – A guide to Retro Journaling and Daydream Journals – Memories, ideas & inspiration in stitch cloth & thread delves into the creation of collage journals, cloth stitched journals, sharing colour matching methods, recycling materials, natural dyeing techniques, expressing your personal style, and how to store your materials in inspirational ways!
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Finally, if you are looking for more of the research based psychological reasoning behind why journalling can be effective for helping us develop our goal setting, mindfulness, and reflection capabilities you may wish to check out Intuition – Access your inner wisdom, Trust your instincts, Find your path.