journals, journals, everywhere

Journals pop up within the greatest topics, to support specific components of our lives. During the COVID years, I noticed the turn in this direction prove even stronger, likely from the hours of isolated internet scrolling joined with a new opportunity for self-contained health practices. (And the explosion of depression, anxiety, and loss of ease from those same isolated hours.) The trend has continued and flourished.

​A journal can still be a daily diary of activities. In addition, a narrowly-focused journal provides a user with clear support for one area of life that may have risen on the priority list, such as exercise. A few types of journals that support overall wellness:

• Sleep Journal: tracks and assesses sleep challenges and habits to achieve better rest
• Fitness Journal: tracks and supports your fitness routine and goals
• Dream Journal: catches all the stories that fill our sleep, shows common themes, and helps find meaning in them
• Gratitude Journal: creates a regular habit of listing people, moments, actions, items, that we are thankful for
• Morning Pages: asks for three pages of long-hand “stream of consciousness” writing to start the day
• 5 Minute Journals: takes away the daunting concept of adding another time-sucking habit to a day
• Expressive Writing: focuses on thoughts and feelings to work through a trauma – also a form of therapy
• Nature Journal: looks for writing, drawing, or reflection in response to time spent in and with nature
• Meditation Journal: captures intentions prior to and records the experience of a meditation
• Bullet Journals: offers a system to follow lists, goals, and calendars, and gather ideas all in one place that can be basic or elaborate
• Art Journals: provides the canvas for sketching, scenes, colors, doodles, thoughts

(…not full definitions, but you get the point and can dig deeper if interested!)
 
For those who look at a blank page and feel the panic rise, pre-printed journals with prompts can remove the intimidation factor and welcome in a new, healthy habit.
 
What I love about all kinds of journals is that there are no hard and fast rules, no tests to pass, or failing grade at the end of the day. Your journal, on any topic and in any form, is solely for you.