Starting a journaling practice is hard. I get it. You don't know where to start or what will work for you.

You've heard the benefits of journaling. How putting your thoughts, feelings, ideas and worries down on paper is one of the best ways to decompress, support your mental health and improve your life. BUT, you don't know where to begin or how to get the best results.

I get it. I've been there.

I've been journaling and teaching people to journal for 17 years, and I'm here to help.

How to Start Journaling

Before we dive into how to start journaling, I'm going to tell you why journaling is the #1 tool to improve your life.

17 years ago when I started journaling every day, I didn't think writing down my thoughts and feelings would change my life or radically improve my mental health. But taking the time to work out my negative thoughts on paper, or dream, or vent, has taught me it's safe to feel all my feelings. I've learned I always have a safe space to share about my feelings and problem solve areas of life where I'm stuck. That's why journaling is so impactful and helpful for our brains. We all have thoughts and feelings we like, and ones we don't. Thoughts we are ashamed we have, and wish we didn't. What is powerful about journaling is that my feelings (the good, bad and ugly) have a place to be. I can say anything. I can be mean, jealous, hateful. I don't have look good, be pretty, kind or successful. I let go on the page. It's relaxing to know I always have a place to put my feelings.

What is Journaling?

There are countless types of journals and ways to journal as you begin your journaling experience. There are gratitude journals, dream journals, bullet journals, prayer journals, reflective journals, etc. While I'm certain that all of them have their benefits, I teach a specific way to journal that began with Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way. Over the past 2 decades, I have found the stream of consciousness style of journaling to be the most effective at problem solving areas of my life and it's what I'll be sharing with you. But please note that you have to find the right way for you. If what I'm suggesting doesn't work for you, go and explore other ways to journal. They all can benefit your life, but only if you do them.

How to Start A Journal

Journaling is the ultimate form or self care, and a tool to start loving yourself. Don't miss this Have It All podcast episode about Loving Yourself. 

This is your ultimate guide to start journaling.

Step 1 - WHAT

Buy a journal and a pen you like. This is important, and may sound silly. But I have had people journal on scraps of paper because they didn't feel good enough to treat themselves to a journal. This is an opportunity to be sweet to yourself. Buy yourself a pretty journal you delight in opening. My favorite simple journals are from Paperage, but I also love fancier ones from Peter Pauper Press. This is the journal I started today, and I like the mid-size journals from PPP. I also recommend buying journals when you are enjoying your day or traveling. It's a nice way to remember a place you visited, or a store you like. And don't forget a pen you LOVE. I recently saw a friend journaling with a sad ballpoint pen, NOPE. Have a pen that writes smooth and doesn't smudge (I'm a crier). These pens are my favorite because I don't have to worry about losing the top, they never smudge and are super smooth.

Step 2 - WHEN

Journal at a specific time everyday. I recommend first thing when you wake up, if possible. I know this can feel impossible, especially if you have little kids, or have to be at work very early. I get it. I have little kids who wake up as early as 4am, but definitely by 5:30am. I still journal when I wake up, and my husband supports me to do this because he knows journaling helps my mental health, and the kind of day I'm going to have. I go to bed early so I can do this, and I recommend journaling before you look at your phone, and certainly before looking at any emails or social media.

This helps you to really journal about areas of your life that matter most to you, not what you are already worrying about because you saw work stuff you're now thinking about.

I find that journaling early in the morning helps me get more "bang for my buck" and allows me to unlock my true feelings. I also find that starting my day with self care makes my day go better. I'm a nicer mom, wife, friend and person in general.

Step 3 - WHERE

I like to journal in bed. My dogs are super important to me, so I let them cuddle in bed with me while I journal. I like a big glass of water and hopefully a cup of coffee if my husband brings me one. I will not get out of bed to make one because I always get distracted and it delays my journaling. Pick any area you like, but have it be easy and quick to get to with as few distractions as possible. My kids will often wake up while I'm journaling, but my husband knows it's his job to help them out while I finish up.

Step 4 - HOW 

Journaling should be at least 45 minutes, up to 60 minutes. I have found that it takes this long in order to get through your head stuff and into your heart. It's the magic of the last 5-10 minutes of journaling this way that can make it all worth it. That is 3 pages for me in a mid-sized journal from Paperage or Peter Pauper Press.

I recommend getting started with journal prompts, and have my Top Ten Journal Prompts on my website for free. You could also try a guided journal, several are available. I don't have a favorite, as I prefer to ask myself questions as I go.

Once you get more and more practice, you can try stream of consciousness journaling. I teach courses on how to unlock your own best questions, and find this to be the most powerful way to journal. Goal setting is something I'll often do in my journal as I look at areas of my life that I'd like to improve. What's fun about this is I get to discover why I want some goals, and why other goals aren't important to me.

But what I have found most valuable about a daily journaling practice is this, I spend time getting to know myself a little better every day. And when I do that, I find I'm much kinder to myself. And when I'm kinder to myself I'm automatically better to everyone in the world.

Journaling is the #1 self care tool I recommend for a life you love.