How to Start a Daily Journaling Practice for a More Meaningful Life
Psychoanalyst Carl Jung said, “Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens.” We journal to come into contact with ourselves. When cultivating a daily journaling practice, it’s all about starting a routine or habit in your life and committing to it.
When you show up everyday with a genuine intention to better understand yourself and your life, you will begin to live a happier, more fulfilling, more joyful life. Don’t just take my word for it! Albert Einstein, Oprah Whinfrey, and each one of my mentors all have a daily journaling practice that sets the tone for their day and puts their life in perspective. Are you ready to start? Vaaaamos!!
Create good habits
A daily journaling practice brings awareness to the cycles of ups and downs in your life as told by you – day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month. Your practice, even if it’s for five minutes a day, is like a constant light, illuminating your mood, body, emotions, and state of mind. Without this, these very normal fluctuations can easily go unnoticed. When journaling for self-discovery, it’s so important to have that indicator tracking what’s happening in your life.
Before starting this daily routine, you'll have to do some soul searching as to why you’re doing this. Without a clear, meaningful motivation that is personal to you, it will be a lot harder to keep up your new daily practice. First, take some time to journal about why you want to start a journaling daily. Understanding your why is going to motivate and sustain your new practice.
How to begin a daily journaling practice
Step 1: Buy a journal, one that you love. Keep some colorful pens handy, too! That way you can write in different colors based on your mood.
Step 2: Create a little corner in your home that feels inspiring to you to do your daily journaling practice. Building journaling habits also includes creating a physical space that feels nice to go for journaling daily. You could add a scented candle, incense, a vase with flowers, or a beautiful picture or quote that reminds you why you’re committing to a daily practice.
Step 3: Start writing! There are many practices you can do, so I’ve included a couple below to give you some ideas.
Start the day with gratitude
Start your day off with the glass being half full. Write three things you’re grateful for, and as you write your three things, notice the feeling of gratitude throughout your body. The list can include literally anything you’re grateful for. Maybe it’s the beautiful sun shining outside or your dog greeting you in the morning. It could be something that made you smile the day before or someone in your life that you’re thankful for.
Whatever it is, starting the day like this will literally rewire the neurotransmitters in your brain to recognize the good in your life. Doing this daily journaling practice will change your life. Try it out!
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Set intentions for the day
After the quick gratitude practice, take a mindful moment. Check in with yourself and notice how you’re feeling. Then, write an intention for the day based on what’s “up” for you. For example, if I’m feeling bright and cheery, my intention may go like this:
I invoke the energy of intention to spread kindness and gratitude through all of my interactions today.
Conversely, if during my check in I noticed that I’m feeling tightness and anxiousness in my chest, my intention may be:
I invoke the energy of intention to bring awareness to my body today.
Where attention goes, energy flows. Start the day with some intentionality, and see how your day becomes more intentional.
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Keep it short
If you’re going to maintain a daily journaling practice, you’ll need to keep your daily practice short, preferably around 5-10 minutes. Otherwise, there will inevitably be those days when you can’t carve out enough time in your day.
Conclusion
Journaling is a way to get to know yourself better so that you can be the best version of yourself possible. Live a more meaningful life by becoming more fully YOU every single day.
If you forget a couple of days or don’t have time one day, let it go and come back to it the next day. I have noticed that when I’m most in touch with myself, that shows up in my decision to take time to myself to write in my journal. Do your best!
You may be more likely to keep up the practice if you have some accountability. Share this post with a friend, and start your daily practice together! Check in with each other once a week, and have fun with it. :)
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