Journaling is one of the biggest forms of self-care there is.

Not only does it get all your thoughts out on paper, but it also gives you a clear record of all the beautiful memories in your life and all the hard things you’ve overcome. There is more than one way to journal, and if you want to, you can organize your journals into separate ones so that you can 1) use all of those pretty journals you have lying around, and 2) have specific journals to keep for specific things!

This blog post is all about the different types of journals to keep and why you should keep them.

First, I’m going to go over the different mediums you can journal with. This is very helpful because you can journal in so many different ways — it doesn’t have to just be with pen and paper (though that is the first medium we go over).

Different Journaling Mediums

Pen and Paper

Everyone knows this method, good old pen and paper. This is probably what you think of first when you think of journaling, am I right? It’s just the most classic way to journal, plus, there are so many cute journals and pens out there to buy that it’s hard to resist.

Computer, Tablet, or Cell Phone

This is the way that I, personally, journal. I find it the easiest, because my hands cramp up very quickly when I write with pen and paper, and they don’t at all when I type, so I could go on forever. I use Notion for my Tarot journaling (which, could be considered a hobby journal, which is one I go over later in this post). There are also programs such as Trello that are simple and easy to use, or you could just go with the good old notes app on your phone — whatever works for you!

Audio or Video Recording

Think of this like a podcast! I know you listen to podcasts — they’ve become so popular these days. But even if you don’t the idea still works. You can get out your phone and just record your thought processes. This is more for people who don’t like writing, or maybe aren’t good at writing and are better with the spoken word instead. This is just as good as any written journal because you can always go back and re-listen to your audio or re-watch your video, and you can always have it with you.

Social Media

I know this one seems a bit out there, but you’d be surprised how many people use social media as a journal and don’t even know it. The people who post every day and write extensive captions are chronicling their lives, and posting for the world to see. Of course, not everyone posts EVERYTHING online, but some do. You don’t have to, of course, but if you’re the type of person who does, I don’t see anything wrong with that. It’s your page — go for it!

Blogging

You could say that this is one that I’m passionate about. I haven’t been blogging for very long, but I’ve already fallen head-over-heels in love with it. It has become a big part of my life, and hopefully something that continues to grow for me. As a disabled person, it would be a wonderful job for me to have. Anyway! All that to say, I would recommend blogging to anyone who enjoys writing and feels that they have something to say. It’s a lot of work, more than I thought it would be, but it is a wonderful outlet and can most definitely be considered journaling.

Now, we’re going to go over the different types of journals you can keep!

Gratitude Journal

This is the one that everyone has heard of, I’m sure. But just in case you haven’t, here’s the rundown — a gratitude journal is where you write down at least one thing you are grateful for every day. It’s like when you go around the table at Thanksgiving and go down the list of what you’re thankful for, but in journal form.

Affirmation Journal

This one is similar to the gratitude journal, except you write your affirmations down in it. In this post, I go over what affirmations are and how you can use them for self-care. I didn’t mention it in that post, but this would be a perfect journal to keep! You can write down your affirmation, and then how it makes you feel. You can also go over what area of your life you wish to improve with said affirmation. This one is really powerful, especially if you carry your journal around with you (which, is super easy if you journal on your phone!) because then you can look at your affirmation throughout the day and be reminded to say it to yourself.

Bullet Journal

This is one of the more popular types of journals to keep. I’m sure you’ve heard of these, but if you haven’t, bullet journals are basically tracker journals. You put all your trackers together in one place — such as fitness, diet, mood, sleep, etc. You can have a tracker for just about anything! These journals are really cool to look back over once you’ve filled out a week to a month, depending on how you set up your trackers. There are plenty of examples and “spreads” online for this type of journal, so you can look it up to your heart’s content — like I said, it’s very popular.

Stream-of-Consciousness Journal

This is one of my favorite journals to keep, because it is so freeing! Basically, you do what it sounds like — you open up your journal and you write like three pages of whatever comes to your mind. Most people like to do this kind of journaling either when they first wake up in the morning or right before they go to bed at night. My suggestion is to do this kind of journaling whenever time of day your mind feels the fullest. This is because this journal works best when it can help you get some things off your chest and out of your mind.

Dream Journal

A dream journal is exactly what it sounds like — you record your dreams in your journal every morning. One of the big plusses of keeping this kind of journal is that you get to remember your dreams. Often, it doesn’t take us long to forget them, and sometimes they hold valuable information that you won’t want to forget (if you believe in that sort of thing, which I do!). And if you don’t believe in that sort of thing, it can still be beneficial to you. How? Because you are getting things out of your head and into the world! Sometimes, creative insights can happen from dream journaling — maybe one of your dreams gives you your first novel idea, or an idea for a painting. You never know!

Art Journal

I know what you might be thinking — what if I’m not an artsy person? How do I do an art journal if I can’t draw? And here’s the answer: you just do it anyway. Art is subjective for the most part, especially abstract art. You can experiment with different types of art, or you can just draw stick figures going about their days. The point is to express yourself. Art comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and so do people. Try to reflect yourself and others in your life in your art. Approach it like a child would. Children don’t care if their art is good or not — they simply must create.

Hobby Journal

This is one of my favorites because you could do so much with it! Hobbies are vast and everyone has a different one. For you, this could be literally anything. It could be about your garden, traveling, art, or creative writing — whatever fun little hobby you have, you can write about it in your journal. You can track your projects, write about how your hobby makes you feel, and so on. Next time you sit down (or stand up) to do your hobby, think about trying to write about it later. See how it makes you feel, and if you might be able to add another hobby of writing to your life!

In Conclusion…

Journaling is a great way to take care of yourself, and there are so many different ways to do it, and reasons to do it! I know it can be hard to keep up with, but no one says you have to journal every day to be a journaler. Journal when YOU feel like it — when you feel you have something to say. It’s the best way to get things off your chest, no matter which medium you pick. It’s good to get all those thoughts and feelings out of your body. It really helps in the long run, trust me.

I hope you found something helpful to you here, thanks so much for reading!

— Bee <3