Journaling doesn’t have to be a big thing to do. In fact, it’s one of the best forms of self-care you can practice. When you journal, you don’t even have to write. It can be whatever you want it to be. Writing, drawing, coloring, scribbling over and over in the same spot with your pen, really anything. Instead of being a formal practice, journaling is supposed to relax you and get your thoughts out of your head quite literally. Sometimes all we need is to have a conversation with ourselves.
· What Are You Proud Of?
o We just finished up a very challenging year. What did you do that you’re proud of? Write something down that you accomplished, and you feel amazing about.
o This can be anything. Taking a walk every day, finishing a project, getting out of bed in the morning, etc. It doesn’t have to be something huge. In 2024 we are celebrating all achievements, big or small.
· How Are You Feeling?
o Sometimes we don’t have anyone to talk to about what’s going on. Turning to your journal can be a helpful way to get everything going on in your head out so you can sort through it. If you can’t put a finger on how you’re feeling, writing it all down might help you make some sense of it. If anything, the act of physically writing it down can help you shake the feeling and quite literally get it out of your head.
· Reflecting
o Now that we are in 2024, maybe it’s time to look back on 2023, even if we know we want to pretend it never happened.
o What did you learn? Did you bring any good habits with you from quarantine? How did you feel about the whole thing? Did you learn any new coping skills that have helped you?
o Writing down thoughts on your previous experiences can show you how much you learned, even if you thought you didn’t learn anything from it. Trust me, this is a good one to try.
· Who is important to you?
o Sometimes it’s good to sit down and take stock in the people in our life. Through the pandemic, many of us faced relationship strains, whether friends, family or romantically.
o Who are the people you are still in contact with? Who do you still value? Who did you leave behind or have a fall out with?
o When we go through something extreme, such as, well, a global pandemic, people are going to come and go. Take a minute to think about who you value and why, and maybe through the process you’ll see that you are still giving time to people you shouldn’t.
We hope some of these questions help get you going with journaling. Taking time to get everything down on paper is all you need to gain perspective on things you’re thinking about. Think of journaling like talking to yourself and getting your thoughts out of your head. Put that pen to paper, and start working on your self-care!