[pinkdiva42]

Who finds journaling helpful and do you have a certain way that you journal? I have seen such nice journals from other people in the past and mine dulls in comparison to them. I just jot down whats on my mind and my mood what i am thinking of and things i have to do, appointments, etc.. i am not an artisic person so i cannot really find any ways to mix it up or spice it up... does anyone have any ideas for the person who is not artisic?? i appreciate any and all ideas.. thanks.

[Artchic528]

I journal. I found a pretty purple 9x5 inch journal at my local CVS Pharmacy for about 4-5 dollars and have used it for the past year, year and a half. I don't do anything super special in it. I just write in it like I'm writing a letter to someone, using the "Dear Journal," prompt and ending each entry with something like "Yours truly" and then sign my name at the end. If I still have thoughts that come after I've singed I write a P.S. under where I've signed my name. Basic letter writing stuff.

I got the idea from reading Anne Frank's diary. I might switch to using some sort of "nickname" or moniker of sorts to address the letters to like Anne did via "Kitty". Dear Journal feels too generic for me now that I think about it.

I've seen videos on Youtube where journal writers have inserted pictures, ticket stubs, and even confetti or scraps of paper they found at events they went to, as a way to break the monotony of only seeing just words in their entries. I really don't do that very often. I guess I'm just too lazy to really do that. I've seen some more creative journalers even make collages on their journal pages to express how they feel in the moment, or even just how they've been feeling all day. Like I said, I'm too lazy to do this and don't want stacks of cut up newspapers in my bedroom, because god knows I have enough junk in there already.

A journal can be whatever you want it to be. Write it out like a letter, or just put your pen/pencil to the paper and write the words out that come to your mind. Like a mind dump.

I find writing empties my thoughts out like the pensieve in Harry Potter, a magical bowl shaped device in which a witch or wizard can store the thoughts they've magically removed from their head using their wand. It's like I have less clutter in my mind and can use the space to think more clearly and effectively.

I used to journal obsessively. I found though that i tended to harp on things, launch into tirades, and generally get caught up negatively on things in my life. Basically I would ruminate to the point it was an unhealthy obsession. This had negative consequences on my mental health as I would get so worked up. I would be constantly irritable and angry. Self pity parties were the norm.

This was just me however. I am quite sure that not everyone shares such an experience.

[ArcheM]

My journal is pretty boring but kind of necessary. I write down notable things that I've done in a day. I used to be really upsed by forgetting the dates of past events in my life, especially like creative projects.