i have been journaling for around 3 years now on and off. i've found that sitting myself down and forcing myself to write is the absolute WORST way to go about it because that's how you make it a chore. if you want to make journaling a habit, try writing a sentence a night about whatever you want: what you're grateful for, how you feel, the last thing you ate etc. i feel like once it becomes habitual, that's when inspiration will strike. of course there might be better advice but i hate following strict rules / prompts imo because things like this are supposed to be creative! hope this helps a lil :)
Apr 1, 2025
Related Recs
📖
Why are u writing? To know urself, to sort through ur thoughts, ideas and feelings? To be a better writer? I think knowing the ‘why’ can point u in a direction for the ‘how’ and ‘what’ to write about.
I handwrite in a journal, black fine liner so I commit to my words and can’t erase. I’m not afraid to rip pages, sometimes I colour and draw in it cuz that’s expression too. I do not censor myself but try to get at what I’m really feeling. As true as true statements as I can make them, trying to be as clear as possible. I do not edit and wont let anybody ever see it - this keeps it sacred and honest. You’ll know when u write out something true and important cuz you’ll feel it. The suggestion to write out the surface happenings to get at the insightful ones is a good one.
Routine is key like building any habit…though I journal whenever I want to cuz I love it, not as something to check off a list. That’s the real reason I’ve been doing it as long as I have and as consistently.
Best of luck to u ❤️
Apr 27, 2024
🗺
if don’t know what to write I will just locate myself with extreme specificity and then describe my bodily and emotional sensations. usually that is enough to get me going
I journal once a week for a specific purpose and have that as part of my routine/to-do list for that day. i highly recommend journaling by hand and with a really good pen
Apr 27, 2024
✍️
My journal is very chaotic and has a lot of collages, sticker dumps, poems and quotes I like, along with more structured diary entries, but one of my favourite things to do in it is what I call free journaling. I’m sure this is not a new concept, I just haven’t looked into it at all. All you do is write anything and everything that comes to your mind even if that is “I don’t know what to write right now. I’m really bored.” It’ll start with that but as you write you start to tune in more to the things around you and how your body feels, and you might start describing what the room looks like, or what you did that day to lead you to this point, or some strange idea for a project, or how the pen feels in your hand.
I had a professor once say to start writing by just starting and making a word vomit page, then open a new document and completely rewrite it. I have taken that advice into my journaling and just done this word-vomit free journaling, then taken some keys ideas/ phrases and used them elsewhere, but also, you don’t have to ever look at it ever again. It gives you the chance to really let go, and let your brain warm up.
Jan 29, 2025
Top Recs from @a1yssa
Mar 18, 2025
Mar 27, 2025
❤️
this would have been a rec 7 hours ago before the delusions subsided. to all the victims of anxious attachment, i see you and hear you and im going crazy and my tummy hurts real bad.
Mar 26, 2025