Table of Contents
Introduction 1
About This Book 2
Foolish Assumptions 3
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 4
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Getting Started With Journaling 7
Chapter 1: Exploring Life With Journaling 9
Defining Journaling 10
Appreciating what journaling is 10
Recognizing what journaling isn’t 11
Taking First Steps Toward Journaling Success 11
Determining your preferred communication style 12
Understanding your motivations 12
Introducing the Many Ways You Can Journal 14
Writing without structure 14
Using writing prompts 14
Making lists and other structured forms 15
Drawing on your creative side 15
Journaling for specific purposes 16
Trying Your Hand at Journaling 16
Chapter 2: Discovering the Many Benefits of Journaling 19
Enhancing Your Well-Being 20
Emotional and mental health 20
Physical health 21
Supercharging Inspiration and Achievement 22
Creativity 22
Productivity 24
Writing craft 24
Improving Your Life 25
Recording events 25
Clarifying thoughts and feelings 26
Making decisions 27
Tapping into your inner wisdom 28
Discovering your Self 29
Chapter 3: Preparing for Your Journaling Practice 31
Exploring Your Reasons for Journaling 32
Listing your reasons 32
Identifying your top priorities 33
Setting Realistic Expectations for Your Journaling Practice 34
Figuring out your ideal journaling schedule 35
Building incrementally for achievable results 37
Choosing Your Main Medium 38
Journaling by hand: Arguments for and against 39
Going digital: Comparing advantages and disadvantages 41
Figuring out what works best for you 43
Gathering Your Tools 44
Choosing a nifty notebook 44
Picking a comfortable writing instrument 44
Selecting a digital journaling application 46
Preparing Your Journaling Space 48
Carving out your niche 48
Getting comfy with the right furnishings 49
Seeing the light 49
Setting the stage with the right props 50
Chapter 4: Establishing Your Practice 51
Making Time for Journaling 52
Deciding when to write 52
Putting it on the calendar 54
Setting reminders 55
Holding yourself accountable 55
Setting Boundaries 56
Announcing your intentions 56
Making arrangements for childcare and other responsibilities 57
Holding the line 57
Overcoming Fear and Other Obstacles to Journaling 58
Determining what’s holding you back 58
Facing your fear 59
Making your fear your friend 64
Putting Your Seat in the Seat 67
Avoiding procrastination 67
Turning off social media and other distractions 68
Using tools to help you focus 68
Setting the Mood 68
Creating a ritual 69
Breathing deeply and going within 69
Writing Your Plan 70
Part 2: Exploring Popular Journaling Techniques 71
Chapter 5: Journaling for Reflection 73
Exploring Life with Reflective Journaling 73
Defining reflection 75
Seeing the benefits of reflection 76
Getting Started with Reflective Journaling 78
Step 1: Focusing on your purpose 78
Step 2: Setting a time limit 79
Step 3: Structuring your writing process 80
Step 4: Reflecting on the writing process 86
Writing Through Time 87
Shining a light on the past 87
Contemplating change in the present 93
Considering the future 98
Deepening Reflection to Uncover Gold 103
Writing more with a daily twist 104
Mining past entries 105
Chapter 6: Focusing on the Present: Mindful Journaling 107
Reaping the Benefits of Mindful Journaling 108
Centering Yourself: The Importance of Being Present 109
Exploring Mindfulness and How to Become More Aware 110
Determining what mindfulness means to you 110
Body scanning: Tuning into physical sensations 112
Paying attention to your thoughts 115
Centering on the Moment 118
Focusing on breath 118
Finding the sweet spot: You’re ready to write! 122
Putting Mindful Journaling in Play 123
Step 1: Set your intention for the journaling session 123
Step 2: Focus your awareness in the present 124
Step 3: Journal spontaneously 125
Step 4: Reflect on the process 127
Chapter 7: Getting Organized with a Bullet Journal 129
Getting Acquainted with Bullet Journaling Benefits 130
Organizing your thoughts 131
Setting and prioritizing goals 134
Focusing on what’s important 135
Reflecting on your activities 135
Exploring Your Reasons for Bullet Journaling 136
Evaluating your current systems 136
Deciding what you want to achieve 137
Determining whether Bullet Journaling works for you 138
Starting a Bullet Journal 139
Assembling supplies 139
Indexing entries 140
Creating your first collections: Daily, monthly, and future logs 140
Using symbols to identify entry types 144
Trying your hand at creating a daily log 146
Practicing the Bullet Method Over Time 147
Creating a routine 148
Adding new collections 152
Indexing additional pages 153
Exploring Other Ways to Use Bullet Journaling 154
Tracking your habits 155
Improving mental health 156
Planning the future 156
Chapter 8: Expressing Yourself through Creative Journaling 157
Unlocking Your Creativity 158
Freeing your mind from preconceived notions 158
Releasing inhibitions to self-expression 160
Inviting your muse 163
Making Your Own Rules 164
Establishing your purpose 166
Deciding what “visual expression” means to you 167
Collecting Creative Journaling Tools and Materials 169
Starting simply 170
Expanding your toolkit 170
Deciding which mode to use 171
Selecting the right notebook 171
Practicing Creative Journaling Methods 172
Writing in shapes 173
Doodling with color 175
Coloring outside the lines 178
Exploring multimedia 181
Chapter 9: Improving Life with Gratitude Journaling 185
Defining What Gratitude Means to You 186
Giving Thanks: Experiencing the Benefits of Gratitude 187
Lowering your stress levels 187
Renewing perspective 188
Becoming more self-aware 190
Readjusting your attitude 191
Increasing generosity 193
Finding happiness 194
Gaining a Deeper Understanding of Gratitude 195
Recognizing what you have 196
Acknowledging your sources 197
Appreciating abundance 199
Practicing Simple Gratitude 200
Doing it daily 200
Starting with yourself: Showing your body gratitude 201
Practicing Uncommon Gratitude 203
Flip the script: Reconsidering the terms you use 204
Embracing the unwanted 206
Bringing uncommon gratitude to life 208
Part 3: Journaling Your Way to Health and Happiness 211
Chapter 10: Healing Emotional Wounds 213
Assessing Your Readiness to Journal About Trauma 214
Approaching Trauma Indirectly 215
Get some distance: Writing in third person 216
Creative clustering: Pulling from your subconscious 218
Finding Meaning in Your Pain 221
Take control: Changing how you respond 221
Flip the coin: Finding strength in weakness 223
See the good: Shifting your focus 224
Writing Through Pain 225
Express your pain 226
Validate your pain 228
Personify your pain 230
Journey to the other side 233
Releasing Your Pain 234
Determine what “letting go” looks like for you 235
Make room for something new 237
Loving Yourself 238
Comfort yourself 238
Acknowledge yourself 240
Affirm yourself 241
Chapter 11: Unleashing Your Creativity 243
Celebrating Your Creative Traits 244
Identifying your creative characteristics 244
Considering ways to apply your natural creativity 247
Picturing Your Creative Side through Drawing 249
Varying your drawing methods 250
Challenging yourself with continuous line drawing 254
Playing with Ideas: Stimulating Your Imagination 257
Using free association 258
Flipping the challenge 259
Pushing Limits: Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone 261
Acting crazy 263
Changing your routine 264
Finding Inspiration from Within 266
Getting to know your muse 267
Introducing yourself to your muse 269
Calling on your muse 270
Chapter 12: Achieving Success 273
Deciding What Success Means for You 273
Exploring the idea of success 274
Finding balance in success 277
Narrowing your definition of success 281
Exploring Your Core Beliefs about Success 284
Identifying influential sources 285
Recognizing your mindset 287
Establishing Your Goals 291
Defining the What 291
Deciding on When 292
Figuring out the How 293
Understanding the Why 294
All together now! Writing your goal statement 295
Creating Your Plan of Action 295
Get Moving! Putting Your Action Plan into Action 296
Holding yourself accountable 297
Reviewing your progress 297
Celebrating your success 298
Chapter 13: Exploring Spirituality 299
Defining What Spirituality Means for You 300
Focusing on Spiritual Connection 304
Journaling for Spiritual Growth 307
Building on your strengths 307
Embracing your shadow 310
Developing Spiritual Mission and Purpose Statements 312
Step 1: Explore what drives you 313
Step 2: Look back on a life well lived 315
Step 3: Create your spiritual mission statement 317
Step 4: Write your spiritual purpose statement 319
Creating a Spiritual Journal 321
Chapter 14: Navigating Grief 323
Identifying Your Loss 323
Acknowledging and Validating Your Feelings 324
Allowing Self-Compassion 328
Having a Conversation with Grief 330
Expressing Grief Safely 335
Try a sentence-starter prompt 336
Color your feelings 338
Dealing with Numbness 340
Taking Action Against Loneliness 343
Getting Past Guilt 347
Identifying types of guilt associated with grief 347
Journaling for awareness 348
Journaling for transformation 349
Journaling After Losing Someone You Love 351
Chapter 15: Transforming Relationships 353
Prioritizing Your Relationship with Yourself 354
For Better or Worse: Examining Your Relationships with Others 358
Finding Empathy 364
Enhancing Romantic Partnerships 367
Improving Family Relationships 374
Deepening Friendships 379
Part 4: The Part of Tens 383
Chapter 16: Ten Tips to Maintain a Vibrant Journaling Practice 385
Stay True to Your Purpose 386
See Yourself as a Journal Writer 386
Start Small 387
Make It Easy 387
Be Flexible 388
Be Honest 388
Use Journaling Prompts 388
Change Things Up 389
Pair Up with a Writing Partner 389
Make it Fun 390
Chapter 17: Ten Ways to Generate Inspiring Journaling Prompts 391
Use Current Events 392
Keep Lists 392
Browse Blogs and Friends’ Social Media Posts 393
Use Images 393
Pick a Word or Phrase from a Book 393
Explore Extremes 394
Examine Your Values 394
Picture the Impossible 394
Start with “What if?” 395
When All Else Fails: Google journaling prompts 395
Index 397
