How do I keep up with all these journals?

Hey Bloomers! 🌼 You are probably already aware of the wonderful, life changing thing known as journaling, and all the amazing benefits that it brings with it. If not, I dedicated a whole blog post to it HERE. However, you may also be aware that there are many, different types of journals. Because of this, the question sometimes becomes: How do I keep up with all these journals? 

The many types of journals 

Because of the multiple benefits that journaling has, it is not surprising that there are different types of journals. One of the most common is a personal journal. 

Personal journal

A person journal has been described as “a record of your observations, feelings, and reflections on your experience”. It allows you to get your thoughts down and process the events that occur in your life, as well as the emotions that you feel. It is a wonderful way of gaining perspective in life and dealing with all the things that life may throw at you. Even when nothing is wrong, a personal journal allows you to keep up with yourself and not aimlessly go through life. Another absolutely amazing thing about a personal journal is that even decades after writing, you will be able to see how you were feeling at a specific time in your life. A personal journal can really be like a time machine!

Gratitude journal

Another type of journal is a gratitude journal. This is a journal that is best utilised daily, hence can be called a daily gratitude journal. In a gratitude journal, you write one thing that you are thankful for daily. This can be anything from being grateful for family and friends, to “smaller” things such as being grateful for your internet connection or a funny meme that made you laugh. One of the greatest benefits of a gratitude journaling is that when you are having a bad day or experiencing a difficult phase in your life, you can look back to this journal and see all the other blessings that you have and experience. In negative circumstances, it can become easier to focus on all that is going wrong and completely forget everything else that is going well. Keeping a gratitude journal is a smart way of combating this. 

Prayer journal

There are many more different types of journals, and maybe there will be a different blog post that will purely focus on this in future, but the last one that will be discussed in this blog post is a prayer journal. Some people find it easier to pray through writing. In addition to this, other people may want to reflect on the prayers that they have made in the past and literally see how their answers have been answered. These are some of the purposes of a gratitude journal. 

So, with all these different types of journals that are available, a question that can arise is: How do I keep up with all these journals? 

Tip #1: Keeping one journal that encompasses all the others

Because it can be difficult to keep up with multiple journals, it may be helpful to have one physical journal where all the journaling is done. Basically, you use the journal for whatever you are feeling in that specific moment. One page can be used as a “personal journal” to write down how you are feeling and reflect on experiences and the next page can even be a prayer. Another random page could also be a gratitude page. The point of it is that all journaling will be kept in one journal. For the people who prefer to be organised, look at it like having a “2022 journal”. That way, all the things that go on in your brain in the year will be kept in one place that you can refer to in future and reflect on your growth and how far you have come. 

Tip #2: Focus on what you are feeling in that specific moment 

This was also briefly stated in the first tip. Journaling should never feel like an obligation or a chore. It should be an enjoyable experience where you get to spend time with and learn more about yourself. For that reason, it is always helpful to focus on what you are feeling at a specific moment. If you just went through an experience that is troubling your mind, you can use your book as a personal journal and make an entry in order to process and gain perspective. In the same way, if you want to pray and spend time with God in a specific moment, you can use the journal for that purpose. The idea is to be in tune with yourself and use the journal according to your needs. However, it is important to note that gratitude journaling should be done as often as possible. It would be preferable to do it everyday so that you can see that there is something to be grateful for in each day, even if you are having a bad day. There can be a specific page where you write what you are grateful for daily and when space runs out on that page, you just move on to another one. There is always something to be grateful for, even in the darkest of times. 

In conclusion, the answers to “how do I keep up with all these journals” are keeping one journal that encompasses all the others as well as focusing on what you are feeling at a given moment. Having a single journal each year that you can work with and look at later on in life is a wonderful opportunity that you should take full advantage of. All the best with your journaling! 

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