Heyya boss teens. Let’s dive right into today’s mini talk about journaling, shall we?
First off, journaling is all about putting your thoughts into words on paper. You might ask, why should I journal? Well here are some reasons why anyone should practice journaling.
Journalling is a great way to:● Get rid of anxiety and stress● Manage your feelings and emotions● Document your thoughts to process them better● Achieve your goals and be more productive or creative.
Since we are all about teen creativity, we stan for journaling because of its creative advantages.
The great news is you don’t need fancy notebooks, pens, or expensive writing materials to start journaling. Your regular notebook and pen are enough for you to begin.
Now that you’ve got your notebooks and pens ready, it’s time for you to start writing. But first of all, you need to know the different strategies of journaling so that you can choose the one that works best for you.
Strategy 1: Braindump Journaling
For this strategy, you simply write all your thought processes into your journal. Essentially, it means you will write everything that is going on in your mind at the moment to organize and prioritize them. This strategy is great for mental clarity
Strategy 2: Stream Of Consciousness Journaling
Stream of consciousness just basically refers to you writing your thoughts first thing in the morning. So you sit with your journal and then you pen your emotions and thoughts for that morning. It’s kind of like a conversation with your best friend, therapist, or anyone you choose to confide in. Only this time, it’s you and your diary or journal. This strategy is useful because it helps you to de-stress as you write.
Strategy 3:Gratitude Journaling
Gratitude journaling is an all-time favorite because of its simple and concise format. The basic concept of gratitude journaling is you ask yourself at least three things you are grateful for on a particular day, and you simply write them in your journal. This strategy is great because it boosts a positive mindset shift and also improves your happiness.
Strategy 4: Journaling Prompts
If you are new to journaling and the idea of sitting in front of a blank page to write is kind of daunting for you, then maybe using journaling prompts is ideal for you. Journaling prompts are short step-by-step guides that are followed to write your journal. Since nothing is etched in stone, there are no specific standards for journaling prompts. We will however curate a simple journaling prompt for interested beginners in our next article. So please watch out for it.
Strategy 5: Affirmations Journaling
Affirmations are just a way for you to write positive thoughts that you hold dear to you. Also, you can write down as many affirmations as you want but keeping it short is a great way not to cloud yourself with too many thoughts. Affirmations help to reprogram your mindset and also manifest positive activities in your life.
Strategy 6: Scripting Journaling
For those who want to go the extra mile in journaling, scripting might be it for you. The strategy involves you writing down how you want your entire day to go. So basically you start right from your waking moment, what you would do during the day, all the nitty-gritty of your activities up to the time you sleep. Scripting is a great way for you to visualize your day, plan your goals, and also manifest the activities of your day.
Strategy 7: Future Writing Journaling
For bold and ambitious teenagers, future writing is highly recommended. For this strategy, although you are in the present, you write as if you have reached that high stage you have always visualized yourself to attain. Here’s an example; as a high schooler who dreams of becoming a renowned artist, your future writing journaling involves you writing in the present moment as that renowned artist. Another example of future writing could be you writing to your future self. Future writing is highly recommended because it helps the individual to have a clear and concise goal in mind, and consequently boost your creativity as you work towards achieving that goal for your ideal and future self.
Since we have covered almost all the strategies you can use in writing your journal, it’s now up to you to choose the one that will work best for you. As you start your journal journey, remember this only rule friends: There are no rules in journaling. And there are certainly no rights or wrongs in journaling. Everything is acceptable!
See you in our next article.
By: Joyce Yetsa Amable