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We live in such a fast-paced world. It’s easy to feel like our mind is on a hamster wheel and it just Cannot. Keep. Up. with the craziness of life. We want to cultivate stillness and peace in our hearts. But, how? A regular habit of journaling can lead to a whole host of rewards. Read on for those benefits and how to start a life-long habit. This is your Beginner’s Journaling Guide to Success.
S1E38 – Why You Need Space in Your Life to Truly Serve God – A More Beautiful Life Collective Podcast
Do you feel frazzled – like you are stuck in the rat race of the modern day’s focus on productivity? In today’s episode, we are talking about why you need margin in your life to hear God’s voice and recognize the needs of those around you. Then, we are going to talk about the special ability of those who have more space in their lives to truly serve and minister to others. We need more margin people.
View the full post here.
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Keep creating a life you love, and cultivating your heart for God.
Hello everyone, and welcome to Season 1 Episode 35. Today, we are going to take a break from our focus on theology and Christian living and focus on a simple habit that will help you reap tons of benefits. This habit can be life-changing, and it is incredibly simple to add to your daily routine or Rule of Life.
Don’t forget to check out our resources on the shop – especially our new AMBL Collective Morning Menus. This Menu will structure your morning routine and fill it with what is good, true, and beautiful. It goes perfectly with what we are talking about today. Also, be sure to like and subscribe (and leave a rating and review) to never miss an episode. I’m working on our upcoming series that is going to be all about our foundational beliefs which I’m planning on releasing throughout the summer months.
Visit A More Beautiful Life Collective Shop for bible studies, planners, and other resources.
Beginner’s Journaling Habit
Today, we are going to focus on a habit that will help you in so many areas of your life.
The habit: Journaling.
We live in a fast-paced culture that prioritizes images over the written word. We all think that the maxim “A picture is worth 1,000 words is true” without ever seriously considering if that is true or not. How often do readers bemoan movie adaptations because they just can’t compare with the richness and depth of the written word?
When it comes to our daily lives, the idea of keeping a journal – a written account of some portion of our lives – seems preposterous. Don’t we have our phones to take pictures, use apps, and document everything on social media, from the dinner we ate last night to the picture of our Fitbit workout to the first words our child says?
If we have this grand world of pictures, why should we think of documenting anything on a page solely for ourselves?
This podcast will tell you why. We’re going to talk about the benefits of keeping a journal, and the different types of journals you can keep, and then end with some steps to kickstart your journaling routine today.
Trust me: it’s worth it.
If you would like a few beginner’s journaling guides that will help you to write your story and spark some deep thoughts about your life, be sure to visit the AMBL Shop and look at our journaling tab there. While you are there, you can also read a few of our posts on morning pages to learn more.
***If you have enjoyed visiting A More Beautiful Life Collective, please like, comment, share, and subscribe. Let’s make the world more beautiful together. This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this link, I earn a small commission at no cost to you. It’s a win-win!***
Why you should begin journaling every day
So, why take the time to journal? Taking the time to write out our thoughts, ideas, meals, and mundane life seems like it could be a waste of time. Why shouldn’t I focus on a creative pursuit? Or maybe devote more time to reading or learning? Even take that time and use it to spend time with friends or family?
Moreover, is journaling an activity that glorifies God? In a book that I read years ago, the author mentioned that he was an avid journaler – journaling every day – only to quit journaling when he became a Christian. He reasoned that journaling was too self-focused.
It only takes a few minutes to see that journaling is often recommended by therapists and ‘self-care’ experts. Why is this a go-to strategy when it seems kind of outdated? And, is the fact that it is often recommended by the same people saying that taking a day to lay in bed is good for you show that it is something that we should be suspected of?
Journaling provides an array of benefits, from better mental health, less stress, increased wellness, and a better understanding of yourself and others. Journaling is a key way to quit the hamster wheel of stress in your mind while realigning it to focus on God and working for his kingdom now.
Get our beginner’s journaling guide below!
Benefits of Journaling
It is common knowledge that journaling supports good mental health. In multiple studies, the act of writing led to less stress at the moment and long-term benefits over time.
One study found the following results from journaling:
- Lowered blood pressure
- Improved lung and liver function
- Less time spent in hospital
- Better moods
- Improved psychological wellbeing
- Fewer depressive and avoidance symptoms
- Reduced stress-related visits to the doctor
- Less work absenteeism
- Less time out of work following job loss
- Higher student grade averages
Not only is journaling good for your mental health – due to its ability to help you stop your spiraling and negative thoughts – it has real-world implications. Journaling improves your mood and improves your physical health (resulting in fewer visits to the doctor). It improves your work performance and improves your blood pressure and liver and lung function.
That’s pretty impressive results!
In addition to health concerns, journaling can also help you in several other ways. Through journaling, you can cultivate your creativity, set and achieve goals, and work through difficult emotions and events in the past. In a very real way, journaling is a form of therapy.
Even if you don’t feel like you need to journal because ‘life’s going pretty good,’ journaling can help you to be more productive, insightful, and empathetic. In Raising Emotionally Strong Boys, David Thomas discusses why boys need to journal. Many times, boys try to be lazy with their emotions. (How often do you ask a teenage boy what they are thinking only to get the response “I don’t know”?) When you journal, you are confronted with your own thoughts and feelings. You can’t just take the easy way out. You have to figure it out. And, when you do, you feel so much better.
Journaling helps you to get to the root cause of an issue and can even remind you of the humanity in all of us. As you work through issues, you may find yourself putting yourself in the other person’s shoes, trying to understand how they are feeling. In doing this, journaling becomes the opposite of self-absorption.
For all these reasons, it’s valuable to start a habit of journaling. Be sure to get our beginner’s journaling guide to success to help you start one!
Types of journaling for beginners
So, you should keep a journal. But, the next question becomes how?
First, you need to figure out the type of journaling that appeals to you. Do you want to chronicle your days? Maybe you want to cultivate gratitude in your life. Are you just trying to sort through emotions, or do you want a keepsake to look back on?
Beginner’s Journaling Guide to Types of Journaling:
- A Blank Notebook
- Dream Journal
- Art Journaling
- Food Journal
- Gratitude Journal
- Reading Journal
- Travel Journal
- Plant Journal
- Project Journal
- Fitness Journal
- Pocket Journal
- Personal Junk Journal (for negative thoughts)
- Pregnancy Journal
- Poetry Journal
- Group or Relationship Journal
- Productivity Journal
- Pray Rain Journal
- Finance Journal
- Ideas Journal
- Letter Journal
- Morning Pages
- Commonplace Book
- Parenting Journal // Baby Books //Memory Journal
- Nature Journaling
- Memoir Journaling
- Bullet Journaling
- One line a day
- Prayer Journal
- Doodle Journal
- Mood Journal
There are I’m sure several other types of journaling that I could mention, but I wanted to highlight a few that I think are especially helpful. I would start with these to create a beginner’s journaling habit.
My favorite kind of journaling: Morning Pages
When the studies were done that contained so many benefits, the type of journaling they focused on was primarily expressive writing. Any of the types of journaling that focus on reflective or stream-of-consciousness writing – like memoir writing, letter journal, morning pages, or even a blank page – would fall into this category. I am a huge fan of Morning Pages (and you can find 25 Morning Pages Prompts here). Morning Pages is a journaling habit that simply includes writing 3 full pages each day (about anything!).
Some of the biggest benefits of Morning Pages are the ability to (1) work through the pain points and shame points in my life and (2) create connections between all the things that I am reading and listening to.
Journaling = Problem Solving
When I do my Morning Pages, I often begin with a recap of the previous day (which helps me to remember the small little things that are going on in my life. Then, I start to think about an issue or a thought that is going on in my life. Through my morning pages, I’ve set goals, developed routines, planned out blog posts, and worked through emotional situations in my life. It has helped me to fix relationships, navigate disciplinary issues with my kids, and cultivate contentment in my life.
How? Because when you are journaling you are taking those thoughts and emotions that are pretty charged and putting them in black and white. In doing so, those emotions get out of the fight or flight mode and move into a more analytical mode. You can sort through them, assess them as they really should be assessed, and figure out what you should do about them.
Some other journaling types that I have done or want to do in the future include:
- Bullet Journaling: I kept a bullet journal throughout college which was perfect for planning assignments and jotting down quick thoughts on the go. It requires some prep time, so when I started working full-time, it was hard to keep up with it.
- A commonplace book: Though I haven’t always called it this, I’ve kept a commonplace book for years. I carry it around with me, especially when I go to church, to jot down verses and thoughts. When I was younger, I would add special quotes to this journal, but now I have a Zettelkasten system set up.
- Memory book: This is something I haven’t done yet, but I want to do. A memory book is like a baby book… but for all 18 years of your child’s time at home. You document little things throughout the year or add a letter on every birthday. As part of their graduation gift, you give your child this sweet keepsake years in the making. (My son is four so I need to get started on this one! I think I’m still writing about the day he was born.)
All of these types of habits will ensure you are getting the benefits of journaling. Get our beginner’s journaling guide to success below!
Beginner’s Journaling Supply List
Your beginner’s journaling supply list for this habit is easy to remember and fun to buy. It’s like the beginning of the year school shopping, but you can buy things you actually like! Invest in a good journal, some quality pens, and some things to add to the ambiance, like a candle, good music, a comfy chair, and a steaming cup of coffee. Make your journaling time one that you cherish and look forward to each day. (Adding a tasty treat will help to trigger the ‘reward’ in your brain to cultivate this habit.)
Visit A More Beautiful Life Collective Shop for bible studies, planners, and other resources.
Beginner’s Journaling Steps for Success
Now that you know about all of the different types of journaling, it’s time to get started.
Beginner’s Journaling – Step 1. Figure out what you want to get out of this practice.
Each type of journaling has a different result. If you want a small habit of noting big events, the one-line-a-day journaling method will help you do that. If you want to document all the things you are reading and thinking about, pick a commonplace book or reading journal. If you want to reap all the benefits that we’ve mentioned, make sure you are choosing a method that is focused on long-form expression (not just documenting certain facts about your day or habits).
Beginner’s Journaling – Step 2. Pick the type of journaling you want to use and create a designated journaling spot.
Using the information from Step 1, you can pick the type of journaling that you want to do. Then, comes the fun part. Get your supplies! Each type of journaling has specific journals that are made for that thing. You have the option to order a journal that is geared to those types of journaling, or you can just get a blank notebook. (You probably have several blank notebooks just lying around the house!)
For bullet journaling and commonplace books, you can get much better than the Leuchturm 1917 journal. I have used these journals for years. The hardcovers hold up well in bags, and the pages don’t bleed through. I prefer the dotted pages because they give just enough structure to keep lines straight while allowing for flexibility if you want to draw something or create a diagram.
For Morning Pages, I prefer bigger notebooks. I use a letter-size notebook with a nice cover. I just am about to finish one notebook and am moving on to this one. Since you are writing three pages every day, the size of your pages matters. It takes me about 20-30 minutes to fill up three letter-size pages, but I enjoy writing and find that I always have a lot to say. If that’s intimidating just get a smaller notebook.
Set up your journaling spot after you’ve gathered up your supplies. You can keep a basket with your notebook and some pins, pick a drawer to keep it in or stick it by your bedside table. Just place it somewhere you’ll remember that will cue you into doing your habit. Make sure that is a comfy, cozy enjoyable place.
Beginner’s Journaling – Step 3. Set up your habit routines.
With any habit, you need to follow certain steps to make that habit stick.
- First, look at your current daily routine and determine the best place to put your new habit.
- Using habit stacking, determine what the prompt or cue for the habit will be. Will this be a daily or weekly habit? Is it going to be part of your morning or evening routine?
- Establish a reward. What kind of celebration will you get if you keep up with the routine? Will it be food or drink-related, like a cup of coffee or breakfast? Will you get to read a few pages from your favorite book at night? Or will it be a celebration as advocated by B.J. Fogg in Tiny Habits – like saying Yes! Or doing a fist pump in the air.
Beginner’s Journaling – Step 4. Be consistent.
The only way that you will have long-term benefits is to do the habit for the long term. Use a habit tracker and try to be as consistent as possible. I’ve found that the primary way to get the ‘clearing’ effects of journaling (where you brain dump all the junk thoughts in your mind) is to be as consistent as possible.
Beginner’s Journaling – Step 5. Review your journal entries once a month or quarterly.
This last step is optional, but I believe it is really valuable. Journaling is a key way to track your growth over time. By reviewing your journal entries regularly, you can get insight into potential problem areas and potential growth areas. You can also track patterns in your life that you might not be consciously aware of. In doing this, you can start to register positive and negative habits in your life and train those for the good.
Now You Try: Start your beginner’s journaling habit.
Let’s review: Today, we’ve talked about why journaling is so beneficial for your life. Journaling regularly leads to both physical, emotional, and even spiritual benefits. Then, we talked about how to start a beginner’s journaling habit. If you regularly journal, comment below and let me know some benefits that you’ve seen. If you haven’t yet, but are going to start, be sure to take a picture and tag A More Beautiful Life Collective on Facebook or Instagram.
If you are a beginner, don’t forget to get our beginner’s journaling guide to success with 50 morning pages prompts!
Don’t forget to check out the store for more resources, including some journaling prompts and our AMBL Collective Morning Menus. If you would, please leave the show a rating and review to never miss an episode.
Until next time, keep creating a life you love, and cultivating your heart for God.
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