Journaling Resources and Information

Journaling is a powerful tool. It can be used in many different areas of life to help you grow, learn and figure out why you may be stuck.

Journaling is more than just a tool to sort through your emotions, it can help you figure out why you are struggling. Uncover limiting beliefs and begin the work of getting the life you want.

You are in the right place if you are ready to learn how to journal, or how to make your current journaling more effective.

What are the Benefits of Journaling?

The benefits are numerous. Including everything from achieving goals faster to healing emotional wounds. The sheer number of benefits from journaling is why it is my favorite tools for personal growth. Just a few for you to see the benefits of journaling:

Better Understand Emotions – Studies have shown it reduces activity in your Amygdala, which is where emotions are processed.
Improved Physical Health – Journaling can help reduce stress, thus improving your health on multiple fronts. Including improved immune functioning. Additionally research has shown that when used to deal with past emotional wounds it can decrease visits to health centers.
Better Sleep – Doing a brain dump before bed has been shown to shorten how long it takes you to fall asleep. And sleep also helps us in many other areas of our health.
Faster Self Discovery – Journaling is a great way to explore and learn about yourself. The more you know about how and why you do what you do, the sooner you reach your goals.
Problem Solving – Writing is a great way to brainstorm and solve problems. It allows you to step back and explore a problem from different perspectives. It also engages your subconscious in this process.
Emotional Release – Sometimes you just need to vent, and journaling is a great safe space to do so. When we don’t let our emotions out, they end up causing health issues. It is better to vent on paper than keep them inside!

More Journaling Benefits

If you want more detailed research on some of the benefits of journaling, I recommend the book Opening Up by Writing It Down. While the focus is on the emotional release aspect, they do also cover health and other benefits.

Get Your Copy Today

What am I Supposed to Journal About?

This is the best part of journaling. You can write about anything.

Here are just a few of the things that you can journal about:

Dreams you had the night before
New business ideas
Your feelings
Your goals
What you need right now – emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually!

The options are endless, and they are all beneficial. Still stuck on what to write about in your journal? Here is a list I made of the most common types of journaling. These will give you an idea of more topics that you can journal on.

Going Through a Major Life Transition?

This book of journal prompts will help you learn more about yourself and process your emotions. Plus, it has a special section of journal prompts for a divorce – including the separation phase.

Available as an Ebook and a paperback – 109 Journal Prompts to Help You Through Major Life Transitions

I Want the Book

How to Start Journaling

New to journaling and don’t know where to even start? I have a detailed article that walks you step-by-step through what you need to get your journaling practice going.

Get your journaling practice started today!

Journaling FAQ’s

Should I keep my journals?

This is a personal preference. You may decide to experiment with a few to see what works best for you. Personally I have changed what I do over the years, depending on what my current needs are and what my storage space is like. Here are a few options that you can consider.

1. Destroy them immediately. Do this if you fear someone will see it, or you are simply using journaling as a venting tool.
2. Save for a while then destroy. You can re-read them and then destroy them after a set time. When I do this a good time frame for me is a year.
3. Keep them permanently. This is a good idea if your goal is to use them as a memory tool.

Should I re-read my entries?

This is another personal preference (as most of journaling is). I love re-reading my journals. I do this at two different times.
1. Before starting a journal session. I will sometimes re-read the last couple entries. This is good when working with an ongoing problem. It allows you to recap what you already explored and see how it may have changed over the last couple of days.
2. A year or two later. I love to do this to see how far I have come in my journey. It helps keep me motivated and appreciative of how much I have grown.

What is the difference between journaling and a diary?

There are many types of journaling that go beyond a diary. A diary is recording your thoughts and feelings. With journaling you can use it for more things. For example, a travel journal where you log what you see and do.
For more on different types of journaling check out my article on some of the most common types. Types of Journals

Should I date my entries?

Having a time frame is beneficial if you plan on keeping your journals. If you don’t plan on keeping them, it is less important.

You can date them every time you write. Or what I do is write the start date of the journal on the front page. Then when I am done, I write the end date on the same page. I do this because I will often journal a couple times a day and sometimes forget to date it. Having the to and from date on the inside page gives me the range even when I forget specific dates.

Can journaling be bad?

For the most part no. However, there are times when it is wise to take a break. When you are working on a highly emotional problem, it might trigger feelings that are overwhelming. If you suddenly have a negative mood shift. Stop, take a break and come back later. It may help in between sessions to meditate about what you uncover so you can deal with your emotions.

Journaling Articles For More Help

How to Release Attachment to Outcomes: A 4-Step Journaling Practice

When we do something in life we tend to have a desired outcome. It might be as simple as wanting to enjoy coffee with friends. Or as big as needing a presentation at work to go well so that you can get a promotion. The problem with expected outcomes is that life doesn’t always happen…

Read More How to Release Attachment to Outcomes: A 4-Step Journaling Practice
Journal Prompts to Help You Create a Mood Rescue Plan

Being stuck in a bad mood, a sad mood or even just a weird funk can make it hard to get through anything. Having a list of things, you know will help your mood, can speed up the feeling better process. Especially, because in the moment of struggling it is hard to think of the…

Read More Journal Prompts to Help You Create a Mood Rescue Plan
How to Journal Without Writing

Love the idea of journaling but not a fan of writing? You can still experience many of the benefits using other tools. While some techniques are harder to adapt, journal prompts are easy to explore in creative, non-writing ways. Here are a few to try. How to Use Journal Prompts without Writing Meditative Walking or…

Read More How to Journal Without Writing
Journal Prompts: Understand Numbing Habits

When times are overwhelming emotionally, we can have the tendency to ignore our emotions. Especially when we feel like we have no control over what is going on that is creating the emotion. To ignore them we end up using numbing tools. The problem is this isn’t healthy. Depending on what we are doing it…

Read More Journal Prompts: Understand Numbing Habits
Journal Prompt Series: Get Back on Track

This week’s journal prompts are a series that will help you explore how to move forward and recreate your life when we are in transition or feel like we are off track from what we desire. We are going to approach this from two perspectives. First, seeing the big picture. Second, using our inner wisdom….

Read More Journal Prompt Series: Get Back on Track
Journal Prompt: What am I Trying to Control?

What or who am I trying to control that is not mine to do? Most people don’t like it when others butt in with unwanted advice. Or when someone wants to come in and take over a project that they have been working on. Getting unwanted advice or someone taking over creates animosity, resentment and…

Read More Journal Prompt: What am I Trying to Control?

Journaling Courses and More

Journaling Techniques for Beginners Course

10 day course for beginners. Covering techniques, how to get started and overcome blocks. Course is currently available on Insight Timer.

Custom Guided Journals

I create specific journals for topics such as moon rituals, self-discovery and sleep. Check out my currently finished journals, plus a book full of journal prompts. Guided Journals