How To Start Journaling (Even After Stopping)

Want to journal, and you don’t know where to start? Doesn’t matter if you were a long-time journalizer who fell off track or you’re brand new to the practice; here are some tips to get started.

1 | Find out what will best serve you

You probably won’t know offhand, so I suggest grabbing a random notebook lying around or a spiral-bound notebook from the dollar store and trying out different forms of journaling. I gave you a bunch of examples in the Reel, but there are so many more on YouTube you can try out.

Instead, practice out in a notebook you have, rather than purchase one for a specific purpose and end up hating it. All but the Anxiety Notebook were journals and notebooks I already had from prop styling or gifts.

2 | Use prompts if you get brain freeze

Again, there are many videos on YouTube of journaling prompts, so if you’re a little nervous about spilling it all on the page, start with prompts.

3 | All journals are not created equal

I noticed that I need to do freeform writing like Morning Pages (free-writing for three pages straight) in an unlined notebook. I feel restricted with lined pages, and it makes me overthink what is happening. On the other hand, I prefer a lined notebook for more listicle-style journaling.

Maybe you tried journaling in the past, and you didn’t like it. Who knows, perhaps the kind of journal you were using wasn’t aligned with how your brain wants to write.

4 | Use pens you like

Seriously, most likely, you have a favorite kind of pen. At this point, you probably figured out what type of journal will be best for you, so make sure you have a writing tool that works best for it. There is no kind of buzzkill like getting deep in your feelings, and the pen you found in the backseat of your car is dragging and smudging all over the page.

5 | Set the mood

Put on some calming music, light a candle, kick everyone out of the house if you need to, and sit down in your favorite space to write. Once I started doing that, it made journaling much more pleasurable.

6 | Take the pressure off yourself

You don’t need to journal every day. You’re not a bad person if you break the streak. I wrote in one journal every day for over a year, and then I didn’t want to do it anymore one day. Don’t force it, so take breaks if you need to and come back when you’re ready.

If you have any tips on how to journal, leave them in the comments.