Journaling
I have been keeping journals for as long as I can remember. I think I was about 12 years old when I started the oldest of the journals I still have. So basically my life in paper and ink. To be honest though, the reason for keeping a journal wasn't really about being able to look back at them.
I mostly write to digest. You might even be able to say that I use my journal as an external harddrive. Everything I can't use in my head at a given time will be saved in the journal. Besides that it helps me to to order my thoughts since you are forced to think about the words you use before putting them onto the page. So in short, writing gives my mind some much needed rest, space and quiet.
There are so many ways to journal. I think there is something out there for everyone. Even just for me my prefered way of journaling will change from time to time and the way I journal has for sure changed through the years.
There are times I like to use a whole lot of pictures and my journal tends to look more like a photoalbum or a scrapbook. There are times that I tend to reach for my paints and inks to draw or that I just want to write my little heart out, stream of consciousness. And then there are times where I don't write at all but I always come back to journalling. It just does so much for me.
MAKING MEMORIES
One of the fun things about keeping a journal is that it helps you to make and keep memories. The only journals I tend to look back at are the ones that have some sort of creative element to them, something visual. It can be through pictures but it can also mean ink and paint. These day I either write to remember or to clear my head. I tend to use a different journal for each of them. Something to look back at and something that I could just throw away if I wanted to.
In my memoriesjournal I tend to use a lot of pictures with bits of writing about the day, the memory or the picture. I also like to get creative using ink and watercolor. Just "plopping" color on the page or actually drawing something, they are all options. It is fun to look back at but most of all it can be almost therapeutic for me to play with the colors and materials.
If this is something you would like to give a try, you can find a whole lot of examples on the internet. My absolute favorite is Ali Brown. I for sure would encourge you to take a look at both her website and her youtube channel. I also like to follow LittleRavenInk and James Burke.
STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS
Letting all your thoughts flow onto the page without a filter. I have also heard someone call it word-vomiting. It doesn't matter what you write down, as long as you don't stop writing. You just write, write and write. It can be usefull to set some sort of limitation for yourself hen doing this. A page or 2 or 3 or a timelimit. That will give you some idea about when to stop. Or you just start and stop when you are out of things to write down. I really enjoy this way of journaling. It gives me so much clarity and a beautiful, calm and empty feeling when I am done. A clutter free mind.
VERTELLIS
And then there are the journals that you can buy pre-made. There are so many variations on this. I have never been much of a fan of them since I like to do my own thing. But then I found Vertellis chapters. Vertellis chapters gives you different questions to answere and inspiration in the form of quotes and little stories. It is a journal that halps you to reflect and get into a positive mindset, and stay there ofcourse. If you prefere to get to know the concept of Vertellis, do take a look at their website and social media. It is also nice to subscribe to their newsletter, the vertellis friday question (even though I don't know if it's just in Dutch or that you could also choose an English version). Every friday you get a newsletter in you inbox with a question to ask yourself, and maybe answere it with pen and paper if you like.
So that's it for today. Do you have a prefered way of journaling? I would love to hear about it and what it does for you. Have nice day and I will be back with another post in 2 weeks.
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