"learning" to journal
a study in mindfulness: learning to write for myself, without the pressure of perfection
i have always loved the idea of journaling. it’s so personal and introspective, and the thought of having books filled with my thoughts frozen in time is something that feels really special to me. anytime i’ve seen friends or creators share their pages from when they were young, i find it so endearing and cute. i love reading about the boy they had a crush on in grade 6, or how their friend hurt their feelings in grade 9. i think there is something so special and nostalgic about being able to look back on those moments in such a raw and real way.
my issue is i have never been able to let myself really enjoy journaling. i’ve tried to journal and write diaries at various points in my life but i feel like i always had a sense of self imposed control to it. i always felt like i was writing as if someone else would read it; i was not writing without fear of judgement. lately, i have felt the pull to journal again, and to really let that childlike carelessness out. i want to write about anything and everything without fearing if it’s worthy, or being stuck ‘not knowing what to say’. i also want to have pages that are just creative, or memories kept in a book — kind of like junk journaling i guess, but not with bits of trash as that just doesn’t speak to me. i love the look of the junk journals i have seen people share, but collecting random bits of things that don’t have a deep meaning to me just doesn’t appeal personally.
now i wouldn’t be me if i wasn’t planning out how i want to journal and what i want to include. i’m very type a, and while i want to let go of carefully curating my thoughts in the journal, i’m a planner through and through. i also know myself, and I know a lot of the time the problem i have when journaling is feeling like i have nothing to say. i go to write and my head is just empty, so i wanted to get together a collection of journal prompts i like that i can check into anytime i need—and maybe they inspire you as well.
Journal prompts…
these are a collection of prompts i have made or found—some from searching online, and some i’ve made up myself. many of my prompts are more lighthearted and positive—i don’t personally love journaling about difficult things that make me sad. especially not starting out and trying to make a practice of it. i truly do see the value in it, but i personally get too overwhelmed and instead of letting go, to me it feels like i’m breathing more life into the difficult things, and then i end up focusing on it even more. maybe that isn’t healthy—and it probably would help to get it out on paper, but at least starting out i’m keeping things a bit more lighthearted.
lighthearted journal prompts:
what element are you most drawn to and why?
if you wrote a book, what would it be about?
what are you hyper-fixated on at the moment?
write about a fictional character that shaped you as a person?
what media shaped you into who you are and why?
if you could live in a fictional world, which one would you choose? what would your life be like there?
what are your favourite aspects of the current season? write about them in as much detail as possible.
what does success look like to me right now?
describe what elements your dream home would have
if you won the lottery today, how would you spend the money?
what was the last book you couldn’t put down? what captivated you about it?
what is your dream morning/night routine?
what ‘little’ things have you excited right now?
how would you spend your days if you couldn’t be productive (nothing gets views, nothing is monetized, work and money isn’t a thing)
pick a favourite book - what character from that book are you most like and why?
what are you doing to nourish yourself right now?
a few are from a substack newsletter called whispers from a lace reverie, if you want to check out the rest of their prompts here:
another newsletter with a ton of journal prompts i found, called feeling everything, very deeply. definitely recommend checking out the journalling section on the newsletter.
topics and planning:
i love the idea of keeping a log of my days, writing about the things that happen or bring me joy, but some days nothing really happens worth noting. on those days i’ll pull from my prompts, or i’ll get creative and visual. i am a very visual person, so i love to make things aesthetic and artistic. i love the idea of combining little doodles and crafts around my writing, especially on days i don’t have a lot of words coming to mind. sometimes my mind conjures images but words completely escape me.
field notes also really inspire me. collecting little pieces of nature to press or tape in between the pages of my journal. i guess that kind of is like junk journaling, but in my mind it feels more like i’m an explorer noticing all kinds of little things in the natural world around me. it almost gives the spiderwick chronicles vibes (such a great movie).
the art of observing…
taking time to slow down and notice things around me feels like a study in mindfulness and presence. i feel like a lot of the time life consists of all hustle and bustle, not making time to stop and smell the roses. sitting still and just noticing what is actually happening all around us can be really grounding and peaceful. it’s a practice i want to bring into my journaling, by sitting and thinking ‘i see…i hear… i feel…’.
what do you see? what small details do you notice when you really look for them?
what do you hear? what sounds are loud and which are quiet? how are the sounds layered?
what do you feel physically?
step outside, how does the air this season smell to you?
you can answer with as much or as little detail as you want to. i think the important part just lies in noticing, and taking that moment of stillness and presence. it’s a practice in presence and grounding. bringing yourself and your mind back into the present moment, and capturing it exactly as it is. you’d be surprised how much you notice when you really look for it.
i find each season has such a distinct smell that it carries on the breeze, and i can never quite put it into words. like i notice the smell when it’s here, but can’t quite remember it once it’s gone. trying to describe it in my journal feels like an attempt to bottle the scent and save it.
those are my ideas so far. i’m excited to see how they grow and change as i really get into it, but the main thing i’m keeping top of mind is presence > perfection. i think a lot of the time it feels like journaling has to be about big feelings and profound thoughts, but there can be so much joy in taking in the small moments too. i’d love to hear about if you journal and what you like to write about. i’ll be sure to take you along and update you on my journaling journey as well.
Love, K