The topic of journaling for beginners is nothing new on this blog. But one good thing about journaling is that there is always more to talk about. Past posts have talked about forming good habits with your journal or even what limits you need when journaling. This post is a little different. We’re going to explore all of the different ways you can start a journal – for wellness or otherwise.
What Even is Journaling?
Journaling is broad but here’s the gist. A journal is a place where you can record things. Those “things” can be details about your life, your past, your feelings, and/ or your dreams. Really, there is no limit to the stuff you can write about in your journal.
When we journal, we create a bit of distance between us and our feelings. It’s like you’re talking to a friend about their lives and we all know it’s easier to give advice to other people. AKA, journaling gets you out of your own head. It is life-changing!
Everyone’s reason for journaling is a little different (we’ll get into that later). Whatever your reason, it is so easy to start journaling for beginners. I promise. Shake off whatever rules you’ve heard on social media and get ready to learn what it’s really all about.
Tools of the Journaling Trade
Physical Journaling for Beginners
Physical journals are tempting. There are so many gorgeous notebooks out there with linen covers and shiny ribbon bookmarks. Unfortunately, you need to hear this truth. If you are interested in journaling for beginners, it is important that you don’t buy anything. Yes, really.
All you need for a physical journal is a notebook and a writing utensil. Most of us have a partially used spiral notebook or composition book lying somewhere in the house. Use that first. It’s important to ask yourself “Who are you trying to become with this journal” and “Have you tried to buy your way into this lifestyle before”? Harsh, sure, but you need to be realistic when starting a journaling practice.
Once you finish that first “ugly” notebook, feel free to buy whatever immaculate journal you feel drawn to. You’ve earned it. Until then, you can make do with an old science class notebook and colored pencils if you need to.
Digital Journaling for Beginners
The digital world is a great place to keep a journal if privacy is a concern. Those cheap diary locks are a lot easier to break than a digital password.
Depending on the type of journal you want to start, there are a lot of tools you can use to keep a digital journal. For some, a simple password protected Word file might be enough. For others, Canva is an excellent tool to keep a visual journal. Some of the nicer images on Canva are behind a paywall, but you can use the basic tools for 100% free.
But wait! You need to think about one thing before starting a digital journal. Tech isn’t forever. It’s easy to read a paper journal written in the 1700’s; it’s way harder to read a floppy disk. Your journal might become obsolete in ten years. When keeping a digital journal, think about how you’ll carry it over when that inevitably happens.
Aesthetics are Overrated
Your journal is for you. End of story. So don’t let the very beautiful Instagram journals get you down. You can see from my own Instagram that perfectionism isn’t necessary to have a great journal. Honestly? I’d say perfectionism gets in the way of a good journal. Let your journal be ugly. If that’s uncomfortable, journal about why.
The Many Journaling Styles
Before covering the most popular styles of journaling for beginners, you need to know this basic rule. Journals don’t have to be neat little boxes. You can mess around with any and every journal style in the same notebook. Please use your first journal to do a little bit of everything.
Wellness Journals
Wellness journals are what you typically think of when you think of journaling for beginners. Maybe this opinion is biased, but they really are a great place for anyone who wants to get into journaling.
Simply put, a wellness journal is a place to work out your heavy feelings, confusing thoughts, and joyful gratitudes. There is no toxic positivity here! Typically, this is the kind of journal where you’d pick a prompt and write on one topic at a time. You can also use techniques like expressive writing and brain dumping. Anything that clears the mind belongs in your wellness journal.
Diaries
One of the main things that draws people to journaling is old diaries. Who doesn’t want to hear about the drama going on in 1874? At one point, the authors of those super old diaries were also wondering about journaling for beginners. There is nothing stopping you from writing a diary that defines your generation.
All a private diary needs is honesty. However, if you plan on giving this thing an audience, consider how deep you want to take this journal. It might not be the place to unpack your most complicated and private feelings. But, follow your own lead. If you’re an open book, write away!
Art Journals/ Sketchbooks
You’ve heard the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words”, so why not keep an art journal? There are many ways to do this.
First, you could keep it simple and sketch what feels right. Journaling doesn’t need an agenda. Making art for art’s sake is a super valid way to reclaim your free time and just enjoy life. Who knows, it might become your next hobby.
Second, you could combine art with a wellness journal. There are tons of expressive art prompts or art therapy projects that can help you feel your feelings without words. Pro tip, you could even use the same journal to flip between written prompts and art prompts. Use what feels most helpful that day.
Planners
Hot take – all planners are journals. Your daily planner is a place to record your hopes, dreams, accomplishments, X, Y, and Z! It is a catch-all space that celebrates all your hard work. Not surprisingly, planners are wonderful for gratitude list inspo. There isn’t a better entry point when it comes to journaling for beginners.
Personally, I lean more toward a weekly planning system I call the Motivational Menu. Planning by week allows you to have a lot more flexibility every day. It’s a good system for anyone who struggles with strict deadlines or procrastination.
Junk Journals
Junk journals need a rebrand but they are so frickin’ cute. They are part scrapbook/ part lil’ trinket space. If you have a hidden stash of movie tickets, cool bar coasters, and “sentimental candy wrappers” – this is the journal style for you.
Here’s the how-to. When you’re out and about, collect little paper scraps from your adventures. After you have a handful of scraps, glue them to your journal page collage-style. You can be as artsy or basic as you would like.
PSST, since I’m a librarian by trade, I feel it is my duty to share a few archiving tips. It’s your journal, but it’ll last longer if you use acid-free paper, scrapbook glue, and page protectors. Movie ticket ink fades fast.
Travel Journals
You probably can guess what goes inside a travel journal. This is your space to keep itineraries, rate every restaurant, and so on.
The biggest question most people seem to have about travel journals is “How do you ever find time to journal when traveling?” Heard. For beach-only vacationers, this isn’t that big a deal. But for the museum and food tour crowd, it’s almost impossible.
You need to keep your vacation style in mind when writing a travel journal. Laid-back travelers could carry a physical journal and write entries while lounging or in transit. But if you’re an on-the-go kind of traveler, your phone is the ultimate journal hack. There is no shame in using a journaling app or even the notes app. You can always transfer those notes to a physical journal when you have time (I sure do).
Just Start Writing
The most common mistake people make when wanting to start a journal is waiting. Writers write. Painters paint. Journalers journal. You need to jump into your journal – even if you don’t quite know what you’re doing. The best part about journaling is that it’s impossible to mess up as long as you do something.
That said, you can look here to learn even more about journaling for beginners. Happy journaling!
(P.S. If you want to see all the video game character versions of the journal types, check out my Instagram)
