Unlocking Wellbeing: The Power of Journaling and How It Can Transform Your Life

Last updated on September 16th, 2023 at 05:23 pm

Hello guys. Hope you are all doing well.

Today I thought I would write about the Journaling I am doing these days and how it’s helping me take time out at a particularly bad period of our lives. It is assisting focusing and sometimes defocusing my mind on current life events and helps me have some mindful time alone.

I’m sure many of you reading this will already keep a diary or journal of some sort, but if not then I hope it helps someone realise the benefits of keeping a journal and that it may be of help to those who may need it.

Discover My Secrets to Cultivating a Positive Mindset: Read this blog post to read my journey to a more optimistic outlook on life

From being very young I always enjoyed the idea of keeping a diary (I also always loved stationary and notebooks, who doesn’t right? 😂) The first writing set I remember owning was an A-Team branded one. Paper and envelopes which I used to write to goodness know who back then. I also had a love of writing. I used to write poems, songs, and penpals (I’ve had one penpal now for over 30 years) I also remember loving scrapbooking, cutting photos out of smash hits and sticking them in a large scrapbook which I think is still in my parent’s attic. I find writing very therapeutic and calming and it has always been part of my life.

When I was younger I kept a traditional diary… “today I did this and that” etc. It’s interesting to look back on now. I even got Nick into keeping one the first year we met. I love to look back at his and mine from back then from time to time.

 “I don’t journal to ‘be productive.’ I don’t do it to find great ideas or to put down prose I can later publish. The pages aren’t intended for anyone but me. It’s the most cost-effective therapy I’ve ever found.” – Tim Ferriss

When online diaries became more popular I started one of those in the 2000s (anyone remember Livejournal ? ) Again it was along the “today I did this” style of journaling. It was all I really knew of a diary back then and how to keep one.

I never kept up to a full year which is a shame as I would love to have a daily reminder of life from back then.

5 Benefits of keeping a diary

1. Improved Mental Health: Writing in a diary can be therapeutic and help relieve stress, anxiety, and negative emotions.
2. Increased Self-Awareness: Keeping a diary allows for reflection and introspection, which can lead to increased self-awareness and personal growth.
3. Memory Enhancement: Recording daily events and experiences can improve memory retention and recall.
4. Better Organization and Planning: A diary can be used to keep track of appointments, goals, and tasks, helping to increase productivity and organization.
5. Preservation of Memories: A diary serves as a record of personal history and memories, providing a valuable keepsake for the future.

The next type of journal I moved to was a Gratitude journal. I was interested in the idea of looking back over my day and finding the best parts of it to record rather than logging every little detail of the day. For the first time, I managed to do a whole year of journaling, every day. Again, it’s great to look back over it from time to time to see what I classed as highlights of those days and a reminder of what I was doing that year. It traveled with me to Paris and Greece. It holds a lot of fond memories within its pages.

Gratitude journaling has stayed with me ever since then. I started it around 2008. I haven’t kept up to a full year since that one but when I need to reset my mind onto positive aspects I find it a great way to just sit and make a list of things I’m grateful for.

 “This pouring thoughts out on paper has relieved me. I feel better and full of confidence and resolution.”  – Diet Eman

5 Benefits of keeping a gratitude journal

1. Improves Mental Health: Writing down things you are grateful for can have a positive impact on your mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.
2. Enhances Emotional Well-Being: Keeping a gratitude journal can increase feelings of happiness, joy, and overall satisfaction with life.
3. Increases Self-Awareness: Writing down what you are grateful for can help you reflect on your values, goals, and priorities and increase self-awareness.
4. Fosters Relationships: Expressing gratitude for the people in your life can improve relationships and strengthen bonds.
5. Enhances Sleep Quality: Writing in a gratitude journal before bed can improve sleep quality and help you fall asleep faster by calming the mind and reducing stress.

The first lockdown brought me back to journaling in a big way. If you watched our vlogs from that particular time you may have seen me doing some creative journaling. I’m not 100% sure how I came across bullet journaling but I know our good friend Lisa and her journaling channels had something to do with it.

I bought my first bullet journal with the intention of trying to be more organised and using it to track habits and log some diary entries. As lockdown continued and we were all looking for hobbies to pass the time, my bullet journal developed into a creative journal. Many of our patrons joined in and found it good for their mental well-being. I moved from tracking my habits and logging which books I was reading to full-on creative mode, buying glue sticks and craft boxes to log memories in a much more visual way. I loved it. We had journaling zoom calls and shared our passion while we couldn’t leave the house.

As the lockdown eased and we were released back into the outside world my journaling transitioned again, back to online. I found the Journey App. Which I used often. I like to have my journal accessible on all my devices and know that I can access and write wherever I am in the world without having to carry anything around with me.

 “Journal writing gives us insights into who we are, who we were, and who we can become.”  – Sandra Marinella

I think of my journey journal as my own therapy session. If I am having a bad day I use it to vent, to dump all my frustrating thoughts out, and leave them on screen. If something is bothering me or someone is annoying me, it goes in my journal. It’s a great release of emotions and a way of clearing my head of all the general day-to-day noise of the world.

Many people have particular TV programs and films they watch over and over for comfort. We love to watch Star Trek, Downton, Lord of the rings, Harry Potter, and Sex and the city. It doesn’t matter how many times we have seen them. Just something constant that’s always there. Some people say the same about our vlogs (thank you so much). I have a set of vloggers I watch regularly which also feel comforting and relaxing. One of those for me over the last few years has been Life with Lisa and her journaling channel It’s only Paper. I used to watch Florida vlogs daily but find I prefer to watch daily day-to-day life more. Seeing people going about their lives just seems comforting. Watching someone create a journal page I find super relaxing and over the last couple of months as we have been at the apartment, I’ve had the urge to get my bullet journal back out and do some more creative journaling. Another order was placed for glue sticks and washi tape and some pages were created. Now more than ever I find it essential to journal memories. At the end of the day, all we have left of our lives and people are the memories we make. It’s nice to keep the memories stronger by recording them visually.

I’ve been trying to find a happy medium of creative journaling without having to carry too much about with me. I always come back to digital as I find it the most convenient way for myself. So, along with my online journaling, I’ve started a digital creative journal. I use Canva as I’m used to that app as we use it daily for our Youtube and social media accounts

“Keeping a journal of what’s going on in your life is a good way to help you distill what’s important and what’s not.” – Martina Navratilova

I open a blank A4 document and just start adding to it. I love that it’s so simple to add any photo from my phone and they have hundreds of different washi tapes without having to order any from Amazon 😍

Lisa has helped me with my digital journaling as she has digital downloads on her website and Patreon group. I have uploaded these to canva and used them on my pages. Some examples of pages I have created are below

There are many different ways to Journal. You can be creative or just use a blank notepad and any pen. Travel journaling is a good way to go if you have a lot of keepsakes from your holidays. If you suffer from mental health issues it’s a great way to be your own therapist. Think of your notebook as a person who you are bearing your soul to. Put some relaxing music on, block out the world, grab a cuppa, and just write. If you aren’t used to Journaling you may find it strange at first. But the more you do it the more you will realise the calmness it brings. We all need to talk to people and we all have a need to share our stories. Some stories are too personal to share with others but a journal is a perfect way to release them while keeping them private.

“People who keep journals have life twice.” – Jessamyn West

5 Benefits of Creative Journaling & Scrapbooking

1. Memory preservation: Scrapbooking allows you to preserve memories, photos, and mementos in a creative and visually appealing way.
2. Stress relief: Scrapbooking can be a therapeutic activity that helps relieve stress and promote relaxation.
3. Creativity outlet: It provides an opportunity for creativity and self-expression, allowing you to create unique and personalized albums.
4. Storytelling: Scrapbooking provides a platform for telling stories, whether it’s about a specific event or a more general timeline of your life.
5. Bonding: Scrapbooking can also be a bonding experience, especially when done with friends or family. Sharing stories, materials, and techniques can bring people closer together.

I hope you found this blog post useful. If you’ve never tried journaling then give it a go. If you like crafting you can go all in on being as creative as you like. If you don’t have a shred of creativity in you then just keep it simple. Do a day-to-day diary or just write in it when you feel like it. Try an online journal site if you prefer sitting on a PC or laptop or tablet. There is no wrong or right way to journal. Journalling is a very personal hobby and you make it your own and do it the way that feels right to you

Let us know in the comments if Journaling is something you do or want to start having a go at and ask any questions you have and we will see if we can help

I’m going to add a few videos below which could help you get started with journaling

Links that may help get you started

CANVA – This is the website we use to create our Youtube thumbnails and many of our social media content. It’s a great way to start and keep an online creative journal. They have a free version which is more than enough and a paid version if you want to get extra content

JOURNEY – Online journal. This is the app and website which I use for my text journaling. It’s pretty basic but you can add photos to your entries and there’s a paid option for more features.

LOLLIPOP BOX CLUB – our friend Lisa’s creative journal store. If you want to give creative journaling a go then it’s a great place to start. She has starter kits and monthly kits. These kits were a great help to my journaling in lockdown

THE WORKS – I love having a look around the Works shops. I bought my bullet journaling kit from them. They have some great stationary and many journals to choose from

Hope you have a fabulous day (and then go journal about it)

Love from Leigh

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