Life under lockdown tends to spend our mind and our words for a toss. We mindlessly spiral down the binge-watching black hole and are unable to emerge back out. Journaling is a great way to take care of our mental health and document the present times, our thought, and hopes as well as the reasons for happiness and gratitude in our lives. If journaling interests you, keep a diary and some pens on you so you can journal whenever you are free.
A couple of things to keep in mind before you start journaling
- Think of why you want to journal – For some, it can be a good way to record and document things. For others, it is a way to keep themselves busy during the monotony of the lockdown. Any which way, journaling can become quite the passion once you get into it.
- Understand which type of journaling calls to you – It is important to understand which type of journaling is perfect for your needs. You can create digital logs using a variety of journaling apps or write down your thought and ideas on a dotted-journal using words and pictures. You can also choose whether to write daily, weekly, or whatever fits your schedule.
- Public or Private? – Decide whether you want to journal for yourself or have others see your content.
- Never run out of ideas – Don’t know what to journal about? Social media is always a great inspiration. There are several blogs of Youtube on different types of journaling and their formats.
- Dedicate Time for journaling – We often put journaling at the end of our list of daily priorities, not realising that it’s important to let our minds run free as well. Pick a time of the day or the week. Day or Night, keep it spread throughout the week, and soon it will become a habit you come to enjoy and look forward to every day.
Types of Journaling you can get into
1. Digital Journaling – Using a diary software that has online and offline support on all platforms like your mobile, desktop or tablet you can start Digital Journaling. Your journal can be protected by password and you can write freely without having to worry about who is looking at your stuff. Gone are the days of carrying a notebook and pen around! You can use apps like Journey, Daylio, Day One, Penzu, among others.
2. Gratitude Journal – The simple act of writing down a list of all the good things in your life can have a big impact on your health and happiness. It only takes a few minutes a day, but can leave you with a lasting sense of happiness, well-being and lesser stress.
2. Dream Journal – Are you a dreamer? Most of us forget our dreams a couple of minutes after waking up.Record your dreams regularly in a dream journal and keep track of its themes and patterns. You can start by simply jotting down what you remember from your dreams. As you go along, you can start to analyse what your dreams mean.
3. Art Journal- Like to draw and paint? Why not create a visual diary that allows you to express your emotions both your words and art. Art Journaling is perfect for managing stress, anxiety, anger, etc. you can use paper cutouts, photos, watercolouring, tissue art, mandala, etc. in your art journal.
4. Travel Journal – Since we cannot travel right now perhaps we can create a journal that accounts for the places we would like to visit once the lockdown is over or one that is reminiscent of all our past journeys.
5. Food Journal – A food journal keeps a log of all your daily meals. It monitors the time they are eaten, the quantities of the foods and the balanced nature of the diet.
Still, thinking about whether to start or not? Well, there’s no time like the present to start journaling.
Reetu416
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