I started regularly journaling in November of 2018 and it has been phenomenal for me. I started journaling following a visit to a mental health hospital. In there, there is not much to do in between therapy and mandated activities. As a result, I started writing when I didn’t feel like socializing with the other patients. Since then, I have kept up with journaling every single day, and it has affected my life in such positive ways.
Writing in a journal every day lets me release thoughts and feelings that I might not otherwise get out. I can talk to my journal about anything without judgments or unwarranted advice. If I feel guilty about some feelings I am having, I can write in my journal until I can better understand my feelings and then talk to a friend or a professional as needed. When I was going through a really tough break up, journaling was my best friend. My friends wanted me to move on and have a “forget them” attitude when I wasn’t ready for that. I could tell my journal about my feelings for my ex that I couldn’t tell anybody else. Mentally, I felt like that was a big weight taken off my shoulders.
In addition to traditionally written journaling, I also do bullet journaling. Bullet journaling helps me organize my life. When I sit down to make pages, I feel like I am taking better care of my life and my headspace. Although I don’t always keep up with my pages, it helps settle the feeling I have that I need to organize, clean, and take care. Bullet journaling helps me lessen overwhelming feelings as well. Some ideas for bullet journal pages include:
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Monthly Spreads
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Calendars
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Monthly Expense Tracker
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Ways to be Okay (Self care page)
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Birthday Trackers
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Routine Pages
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Food tracker
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Due Dates
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Using these pages can help organize your life and get your stuff together. There is an endless amount of ideas you can use for bullet journal pages. Pinterest is a great way to find inspiration for bullet journal pages!
I hope you can find journaling as helpful and inspirational as I do. It may seem tough to keep up with at first but if you stick to it, it will get better and easier. Remember that you don’t always have to write a novel. Write whatever you feel like writing.
Xoxo, Rye
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