Resource ✧ How To Journal ✧

[moshimoshi]

While making this thread I fell into a rabbit hole of journaling that just got deeper and deeper. I had no clue there was so many layers of different journaling types & techniques. I hope you find one that clicks with you <3 journaling can be an amazing way to let your mind run wild with creativity; or to write down data & information about the world around you, yourself, your life, or your day. Huge thank you to @Life_and_Death , @surroundedbydemons , and @vak who gave ideas & input for this thread.

(•̀ᴗ•́)و How to Start Journaling (•̀ᴗ•́)و

☆ "find what works best for you. I personally dont try to stress filling them out. you dont always have something you want to say, or maybe it was a mediocre day so theres not much to add. That's ok. There's different options, so dont worry if it's not for you, just try again."

☆ Try to do small journal entries at first, even if it's just a couple sentences. Don't overwhelm & burn yourself out Start with filling in the sections/pages that are most fun to you.

☆ Choose a journal you love & is easy for you to write in. If you intend on gluing things in make sure the pages aren't too thin. A journal that gives you a seratonin boost when you look at it is a great way to keep you wanting to come back & update it.

☆ It's okay not to write in it everyday- write in it as often as it feels natural for you. Don't force yourself (unless you want to) & take advantage when you feel inspired or have an idea for it. Consider carrying it around with you in day to day life.

Begginers Guide to Journaling


⚙ Analyzing Your Thought & Behavior Patterns ⚙

"You write down your thoughts and experiences so you can analyze them later - that is the goal.

For instance, if you're struggling with focus, jot down what's distracting you. Over time, you'll spot patterns and identify specific distractions. This will help you to think of ways to improve your behavior or remove the distracting item.

Basically, you note something you don't like (like getting distracted), group similar issues, and then think of ways to solve them."


𖤐⤸₊˚ ❜ Journal page ideas 𖤐⤸₊˚ ❜
(Examples from pinterest- not my own pics)

♡ Show/music/game review. Say what things you love about it, describe your favorite parts/characters or any other miscellaneous thoughts.



♡ About Me Page: A page all about you! Might be a good idea for a first page of a journal.



♡ Things that make you happy.



⍝ ˘ ᵜ ˘ ⍝ More Ideas:
- therapy session notes
- small steps
- small goals
- thought and behavior patterns
- observations about yourself & your personality
- your boundaries
- kind messages from people
- mental health tips
- med tracking
- doodle page
- your triggers
- random thoughts


❏❒❑❐ Random Journal Prompt Generator ❏❒❑❐



ꪉ₊· ͟͟͞͞➳Journal With Me Videos! ꪉ₊· ͟͟͞͞➳

Videos of someone sitting down & recording their journaling process. Can help you feel less alone, like you're journaling with someone Can be great for motivation. Most videos have the sounds of the journaling turned up, which make for great ASMR.

𓈈 Minimalistic/simple journal with me 𓈈

Minimalist Bullet Journal Setup 2023 Hobonichi

Monthly Minimalist Bullet Journal Setup


ଘ( ິ•ᆺ• )ິଓ Kawaii journal with me ₍ᐢ..ᐢ₎

Real Time Journal With Me | Kawaii Journaling

Journal with me! (chill video) Emirichu

100 Kawaii Journaling Ideas (Episode 1)


⋆⭒˚｡⋆✈︎ Travel journal with me ⋆⭒˚｡⋆✈︎

Tokyo and Kyoto

German Country Side

Italy, Florence & Rome

San Francisco


𖤣𖥧𖡼 Outdoor journal with me 𖤣𖥧𖡼

Relaxing Journal With Me At The Park



𖦹 ᪥ ❁ Learn About the Different Types of Journaling~Find One That Resonates with You! 𖦹 ᪥ ❁

(Click on the names of the journaling types to see more info/how-to articles! *: ･ﾟ)

✦ ✶ Dream Journaling ✶ ✦

A journal in which dream experiences are recorded. A dream journal might include a record of nightly dreams, personal reflections & waking dream experiences.


☼ ᵕ̈ Gratitude Journaling ᵕ̈ ☼

Write down specific things, events, or experiences that you are thankful for.


⿻۬ Bullet Journaling ⿻

Contains sections to log daily to-dos, keep a monthly or weekly calendar, jot down notes, track both physiological & mental health, & record both short- and long-term goals.


𑁍 ࣪˖ 𓂃 . ࣪ Nature Journaling 𑁍 ࣪˖ 𓂃 . ࣪

The practice of drawing or writing in response to nature. This fun, relaxing practice helps you to connect more closely with nature, & results in the creation of your own unique nature journal.


-✰ Fitness Journaling ✰-

Logging any data that's connected to your physical movement & health practice.


૮₍ ˃̵ࡇ˂̵ ₎ა Emotion Journaling ૮₍´｡ᵔ ꈊ ᵔ｡`₎ა

Allows you to record your feelings over several days or weeks & then notice patterns or trends


𐚱 Junk Journaling 𐚱

Handmade book filled with personal & recycled materials to store memories & ideas. Like its name implies, the pages are filled with material that's usually thrown away. Think newspapers, old train tickets, fabric scraps like lace and ribbons, mismatched buttons, stamps, & more.


𓉳 Achievement Journaling 𓉳

"Anything you "achieved"/are proud of yourself for. basic things like showering. Or trying new foods" ♡


𖥊ꉂ Confessional Journaling ꉂ𖥊

"I messed up/did something wrong/hurt someone. i recognized my mistake (believing everyone is their own god) i give myself forgiveness and learn my lesson." ♡


ʕ•̫͡•ʔ Happiness Calendar Journaling ʕ•̫͡•ʔ

"I have a list of things i got off the internet (just google happiness calendar) and i use a random number generator to pick one and i do it that day and write about it" ♡


✟𖤐 Religious & Spiritual Journaling 𖤐✟

therapeutic practice that involves writing your thoughts, feelings, struggles, questions, & transcendent experiences, as well as your reflections about meaning, purpose, and the sacred in your life. Write prayers, Bible verses, etc.
Muslim Journaling
Christian Journaling
Wicca Journaling
General Spiritual Journaling
Buddhism Journaling


𓍢ִ໋🀦 Commonplace book 𓍢ִ໋🀦

A personal compilation of knowledge, ideas, quotations, & observations collected by an individual. It is a notebook or journal where one gathers & organizes information from various sources for future reference & reflection. Similar to a database.


⸙ ✎ Journaling Personality Tests: ✎ ⸙
What type of journaling does your soul crave?
What type of journal should I keep?
Bullet Journal Quiz


𖡼 ִֶָ ̽𖧧 ָ࣪ 𖧵ֹֺֽ໋໋݊ There are many more types of journaling, please don't hesitate to ask me any questions about journaling or if you want to know about more types of journaling. You can also mix and match all different types, you don't have to stick to just one for the whole journal. 𖡼 ִֶָ ̽𖧧 ָ࣪ 𖧵ֹֺֽ໋໋݊

ꗃ If you like to have more freedom or aren't interested in the planning/scrapbooking/decoration aspect of journaling, freewriting may be a good option, especially for vents. ꗃ

:¨·.·¨ Freewriting: the practice of writing down all your thoughts without stopping and without regard for spelling, grammar, or any of the usual rules for writing.



*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Decorating Ideas *ੈ✩‧₊˚

• If you have no stationary/journaling supplies like me; cut out images from packaging, books, manga, trading card games (I am deeply sorry to everyone who collects these things ) for example I cut out most of my decorations from the manga Blue Period & Yugioh/Pokémon cards
• Washi tape, stickers, scrapbook paper, stamps, stencils, movie/plane/concert tickets
• Nature like leave & flowers
• Hooking charms on journal
• Painting journal cover
• Doodling to fill up negative space in pages
• Little pockets to hold small slips of paper
• Birthday/Holiday cards from loved ones
• Print out images
• Photographs/Polaroids
• Cool food wrappers
• Get chalk & blackboard paper and stick it in your journal, then you can write stuff and wipe it away (I use this for to do lists)

☆ Double sided tape & glue tape are great for sticking things in your journal without much hassle



˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Affordable Journaling Supplies to Get You Started (Amazon)(USD) ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

Currency Conversions
1 USD =
0.92 Euro
888.74 Argentine Peso
1.50 Australian Dollar
1.36 Canadian Dollar
7.24 Chinese Yuan
22.73 Czech Koruna
46.59 Egyptian Pound
156.13 Japanese Yen
1.80 Netherlands Antillean G
58.18 Philippine Peso

If you don't see your currency, here's a currency converter (or it might just automatically tell you when you click on the Amazon links )

Spoiler: Journals ✰

160 Pages Hardcover Journal ( Many Color Options) $4
80 Pages Harry Potter Journal $10
256 Pages Kawaii Panda Journal $13
80 pages Leather Compass Vintage Journal $10
80 Pages National Wildlife Five Star Notebook $5
256 Pages Anime Girl Pastel Journal $17
256 Pages Leather Vintage Medieval Journal $8

Spoiler: Stickers ᐢ..ᐢ

12 Sheets Plant Stickers $7
120 Vintage Stickers $4
100 Cute Cat Stickers $6.30
100 Kawaii Stickers $7
200 Horror Movie Stickers $9
870 Cute Puffy Stickers $11
1106 Planner Stickers $10
600 Transparent Kawaii Stickers $10

Spoiler: Washi Tape ♡̶

7 Grid Washi Tapes $6
24 Vintage Washi Tapes $10
6 Space Glow in the Dark Washi Tapes $10
18 Kawaii Pets Washi Tapes $7
80 Extra Skinny Washi Tapes $7
5 Skinny Sakura Washi Tapes $7
10 Kawaii Washi Tapes $9

Spoiler: Pens ❖

3 Calligraphy Pens $6
14 Pastel Ballpoint Pens (Black Ink) $6
30 Black Gel Pens $10
36 Colorful Gel Pens $8

Spoiler: Mechanical Pencils 𖧷

3 Mechanical Pencils 0.7 mm ( + 3 erasers & 6 led refills containers) $6.39
24 Mechanical Pencils 0.5 mm $7.78
6 Pastel Mechanical Pencils (+ 3 erasers, 9 eraser refills, 6 led refills) $9

Spoiler: Markers 𐀔

8 Scented Markers $6.41
24 Sharpie Colorful Markers $17
12 Pack Felt Tip Markers $8

Spoiler: Highlighters 𖦹

12 Cute Pastel Highlighters $6
18 Mild Highlighters $10
6 Jumbo Pastel Highlighters $7
28 Neon Highlighters $9

Spoiler: Journal Kits ❐

48 Pc Blue Journal Kit $23
346 Pc Vintage Journal Kit $13
348 Pc Purple Aesthetic Journal Kit $12
Kid's Journal Kit $18

Spoiler: Stamps ❁

4 Sheets Silicone Plants and Moons Stamps $8
70 Alphabet Stamps $13
Cat Stamps $6
Japanese Waves Stamps $7
32 Planner Stamps $17
20 set stamp ink pads $10

Spoiler: Misc ꩜

Stray Kids K-pop Photo Cards $8.50
12 Sheets Journaling stencils $6
Glass Dipped Pen Calligraphy Set $15
30 Pretty Mesh Scrapbook Papers $15
445 Vintage Scrapbook Papers $12
60 Sheets Aesthetic Watercolor Scrapbook Papers $9
64 Pc Cute Cat Stationary Set $20

˖ ࣪ 𒀭 For digital journaling ˖ ࣪ 𒀭

Copy and paste text decoration/emoticons/symbols (I used a lot of them for this thread)
Kaomoji
A shit load of decorations and symbols

Notion templates

𑁍ࠬ¸𓍢 Apps for journaling 𑁍ࠬ¸𓍢
Notion
Zinnia
DailyBean (daily life tracking)
Gratitude - Journal Prompts
Collanote
Notability
Clarity- CBT thought diary
Penzu

༣ ྅ ﻬ Apps for note taking/planning ༣ ྅ ﻬ
Pencil Calendar
Me+ daily routine planner
Tiimo - visual daily planner
Concepts


♡̷̷𖤐 Misc. Journaling Resources: ♡̷̷𖤐

Guided Journals
r/journaling subbreddit:
Journaling templates
Journaling discord servers
Journaling & creative writing prompts thread
Free online journal/diary recommendation


ꔘ Journaling on SaSu! ꔘ

Here are some threads for If you don't feel like starting a journal, but are interested in doing a little bit of journaling/testing the waters. You could also post your entries on your profile, or make threads for them.

Color Coded Check In
Rose Check In
Journal Here Thread

if you happen to start journaling later or are already journaling, feel free to post pictures or progress updates of your journal here if you would like ♬♪♫ maybe we can all motivate eachother! Good luck and thanks for reading!!

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

 

[Myforevercharlie]

:) I've been making my own journals for years, as well as junk journals for others.

It keeps my mind busy and actually give me a better insight on myself.

 

[damyon]

Thank you for the thread! I noted some ideas.

˖ ࣪ 𒀭 For digital journaling ˖ ࣪ 𒀭

For those interested in somewhat unconventional journaling ideas, you might try using spreadsheets like Google Sheets. It's widely available and makes it easier to track and analyze relationships between your mental state, behavior, physical variables (HR, blood pressure, weight), etc - you can easily add columns to track things like sleep and food. I usually start with one column for miscellaneous notes, and if I frequently note a specific idea, I add a column for it.

If you want to decorate the sheet, adding images is easy - you can copy and paste them into the spreadsheet

~~~
But as always

"find what works best for you. [...] Choose a journal you love & is easy for you to write in.

~~~
Have you tried AI tools for journaling? I think LLMs can be used for effective note summarization/retrieval, but I found the privacy policies too invasive to use them

 

[moshimoshi]

Thank you for the thread! I noted some ideas.

For those interested in somewhat unconventional journaling ideas, you might try using spreadsheets like Google Sheets. It's widely available and makes it easier to track and analyze relationships between your mental state, behavior, physical variables (HR, blood pressure, weight), etc - you can easily add columns to track things like sleep and food. I usually start with one column for miscellaneous notes, and if I frequently note a specific idea, I add a column for it.

If you want to decorate the sheet, adding images is easy - you can copy and paste them into the spreadsheet

~~~
But as always


~~~
Have you tried AI tools for journaling? I think LLMs can be used for effective note summarization/retrieval, but I found the privacy policies too invasive to use them

Those are great ideas! ♡ thank you :) I feel like google sheets will keep it really organized and for people who want to dive deeper into their patterns or connections between their mental and physical health. I feel as if understanding something better is one of the first steps to finding a solution. Also the Ai idea sounds interesting, ive never tried it :0 i wonder if theres a journaling ai on character.ai.

 

[Life_and_Death]

If you want to decorate the sheet, adding images is easy - you can copy and paste them into the spreadsheet

you can do that!?

i use libreoffice for my journaling.
i saw this thing(?) where it was a graph (all the little squares) and each was a different colour based on how you were feeling that day. i thought that was pretty cool because at the end of the year its all colourful and pretty. but i dont have graph paper and i didnt know you could use a spreadsheet in other ways

(opens it and clicks buttons OMG YES!!! WHAT IS THIS!!!????)


a year in pixels is what its called

 

[Life_and_Death]

idk exactly if this would go under journaling but its close enough???

its my take on the spoon theory, im gonna call it the sticker theory

so, im going to buy a binder, some page protectors and pretty paper (well, i already have pretty paper )
with this, im going to make my own (hopefully) reusable sticker book (like the kind you can buy that promises to be able to remove the stickers, but the pages are going to be bigger and customizable)
and im going to buy some stickers


and im gonna take a rough guess how many spoons/stickers i have each day.
and then every time i use a spoon/sticker, im going to put it in my book

like a reward system but backwards


edit: add on, also, maybe you do deep breathing/meditating/yoga/exercise or whatever works for you throughout the day to give you back a sticker or 2.
so, it also encourages self care even if its just laying in a field

 

[HereTomorrow]

I've done Journaling for a decade but nothing truly stuck (as in, getting through one page in four months). This thread might actually get me back into physical Journaling. I feel like I forget that Journaling is for me, and me only. It should first be for the self. To decorate with almost anything actually sounds like a great idea, never thought about washi tape and stickers. Might loosen me up to dig into some personal creativity.

Personally, I found watercolor hardcover Journal books to be the best for writing just because the pages aren't flimsy. I'd recommend Moleskine for the quality but their books cost me 3 hours of labor

 

[moshimoshi]

you can do that!?

i use libreoffice for my journaling.
i saw this thing(?) where it was a graph (all the little squares) and each was a different colour based on how you were feeling that day. i thought that was pretty cool because at the end of the year its all colourful and pretty. but i dont have graph paper and i didnt know you could use a spreadsheet in other ways

(opens it and clicks buttons OMG YES!!! WHAT IS THIS!!!????)


a year in pixels is what its called View attachment 140571

That's so cool ahh!!! It would be so nice to see an overview of how you felt for the entire year, I really want to do that now. I want to do it with pastel colors it would be so pretty

idk exactly if this would go under journaling but its close enough???

its my take on the spoon theory, im gonna call it the sticker theory

so, im going to buy a binder, some page protectors and pretty paper (well, i already have pretty paper )
with this, im going to make my own (hopefully) reusable sticker book (like the kind you can buy that promises to be able to remove the stickers, but the pages are going to be bigger and customizable)
and im going to buy some stickers


and im gonna take a rough guess how many spoons/stickers i have each day.
and then every time i use a spoon/sticker, im going to put it in my book

like a reward system but backwards


edit: add on, also, maybe you do deep breathing/meditating/yoga/exercise or whatever works for you throughout the day to give you back a sticker or 2.
so, it also encourages self care even if its just laying in a field

That's a really amazing and creative idea, I've heard of the spoon theory before and it seems super useful. I really struggle with distributing my energy which makes me unintentionally ghost people ;^^ because I have such limited energy in a day, it's hard for me to keep up with everything. Good luck with your project and thank you for mentioning this <3 if you want to, keep us updated with how it goes :)

I've done Journaling for a decade but nothing truly stuck (as in, getting through one page in four months). This thread might actually get me back into physical Journaling. I feel like I forget that Journaling is for me, and me only. It should first be for the self. To decorate with almost anything actually sounds like a great idea, never thought about washi tape and stickers. Might loosen me up to dig into some personal creativity.

Personally, I found watercolor hardcover Journal books to be the best for writing just because the pages aren't flimsy. I'd recommend Moleskine for the quality but their books cost me 3 hours of labor

Yesss, I agree it should totally be for yourself it's a lot like a form of self care imo. I forget that as well. Oooo I don't think I've ever heard of watercolor hardcover journals before, they sound really useful, especially if you want to use different mediums in your journal. Yeah moleskins are so spendy, it feels like they cost an arm and a leg sometimes


Today my mom gave me this mini printer, you download an app and can print images from your phone. I haven't tried it out yet but I'm hoping it works :) it doesn't require any ink somehow, it mostly prints in black and white but there are colored paper rolls you can buy as well

 

[theboy]

Nice

 

[ConfusedClouds]

So many great ideas, thanks everyone!

I still struggle a bit with the concept/getting benefit from journalling. Hopefully here is a good spot to ask some more journalling advice from people's various experiences @soulkitty? - if not I'm more than happy to create a new thread.

Let's see if I can word/articulate my struggles vs general expectations of how I feel like journalling should 'work'. I know its a fully personal thing but I feel a bit like I'm missing something, so it would be great to hear what you all think and any thoughts/suggestions out there.

Two of the main 'purposes'/methods for journalling that resonate with me is either just writing and rambling and venting without thinking or a more structured approach to try to process thoughts to help spot patterns. I'm not very creative so the art/decoration side of things is less appealing to me.

Whenever I try answering set questions/direct my thoughts/have more 'structure', it almost feels like an exam where I get flustered trying desperately to remember the relevant points/thoughts and get them noted down before I forget them. This often leads to a sort of rumination and overanalysis where I later remember points I had forgotten or have thought of a better way of wording something. Essentially making a new problem out of trying to improve the old one. On the other hand whenever I just try rambling/venting its too disjointed and never ending (often spirals within spirals sort of vibe) to ever go back through to try to pick up on patterns or themes.

I feel like I am wanting to try and 'make sense' of my thoughts/feelings etc but I just get lost and stuck and overwhelmed (and spiral with frustration/exhasparation of it all and end up just giving up and muting myself and my brain wipes itself until the next wave of emotion). For context, I don't have any specific event that I am wanting to work through - more just trying to calm and understand the general unpredictability of my chaotic mind. I don't understand so I can't communicate anything to others.

Would be great if anyone relates and/or has had any success in their own progress and/or could offer any tips?

 

[moshimoshi]

So many great ideas, thanks everyone!

I still struggle a bit with the concept/getting benefit from journalling. Hopefully here is a good spot to ask some more journalling advice from people's various experiences @soulkitty? - if not I'm more than happy to create a new thread.

Let's see if I can word/articulate my struggles vs general expectations of how I feel like journalling should 'work'. I know its a fully personal thing but I feel a bit like I'm missing something, so it would be great to hear what you all think and any thoughts/suggestions out there.

Two of the main 'purposes'/methods for journalling that resonate with me is either just writing and rambling and venting without thinking or a more structured approach to try to process thoughts to help spot patterns. I'm not very creative so the art/decoration side of things is less appealing to me.

Whenever I try answering set questions/direct my thoughts/have more 'structure', it almost feels like an exam where I get flustered trying desperately to remember the relevant points/thoughts and get them noted down before I forget them. This often leads to a sort of rumination and overanalysis where I later remember points I had forgotten or have thought of a better way of wording something. Essentially making a new problem out of trying to improve the old one. On the other hand whenever I just try rambling/venting its too disjointed and never ending (often spirals within spirals sort of vibe) to ever go back through to try to pick up on patterns or themes.

I feel like I am wanting to try and 'make sense' of my thoughts/feelings etc but I just get lost and stuck and overwhelmed (and spiral with frustration/exhasparation of it all and end up just giving up and muting myself and my brain wipes itself until the next wave of emotion). For context, I don't have any specific event that I am wanting to work through - more just trying to calm and understand the general unpredictability of my chaotic mind. I don't understand so I can't communicate anything to others.

Would be great if anyone relates and/or has had any success in their own progress and/or could offer any tips?

Of course! Anything about journaling is welcome on this thread ♡

Hmmmm, I was thinking what if you keep the freewriting/venting method and still write without thinking much. Except when you want to spot your patterns, you could briefly reread your entries and use a highlighter to highlight any repeated words/thoughts you notice. Then you could at least have an idea of the different themes/emotions your mind goes through. Sorry I wish I had a better tip, I'll let you know if I think of anything else ^^

 

[damyon]

i saw this thing(?) where it was a graph (all the little squares) and each was a different colour based on how you were feeling that day. i thought that was pretty cool because at the end of the year its all colourful and pretty. but i dont have graph paper and i didnt know you could use a spreadsheet in other ways

You can apply conditional formatting to achieve the same effect.

It will be easier to see how you felt during a particular day. For example, I track my sleep quality by assigning a number between 0 and 1: 0 for bad sleep (red color), 1 for good sleep (green color), and anything in between creates a gradient from red to green.

Whenever I try answering set questions/direct my thoughts/have more 'structure', it almost feels like an exam where I get flustered trying desperately to remember the relevant points/thoughts and get them noted down before I forget them. This often leads to a sort of rumination and overanalysis where I later remember points I had forgotten or have thought of a better way of wording something. Essentially making a new problem out of trying to improve the old one. On the other hand whenever I just try rambling/venting its too disjointed and never ending (often spirals within spirals sort of vibe) to ever go back through to try to pick up on patterns or themes.

(this advice will seem generic, but anyway...)

You don't have to treat journalling as your job. Think of it as a supporting activity. If you can spot patterns, that is better than not being able to spot them in the first place (when you are not writing anything).

For context, I don't have any specific event that I am wanting to work through - more just trying to calm and understand the general unpredictability of my chaotic mind.

I think that might be a good starting point. You can ask yourself why you feel that way and put it into words.

 

[ConfusedClouds]

Thanks so much for your thoughts. Generic input is more than valid and helpful! (I also want to acknowledge the amazingness of spreadsheet conditional formatting )

I think that might be a good starting point. You can ask yourself why you feel that way and put it into words.

I think thats where I struggle. Its all or nothing - in so many ways. Either everythings spinning around all over with no pattern or I completely freeze and lose words and can even sometimes go non verbal. Which is so frustrating. And adds to the pressure of trying to 'get things out' when they are actually there. But then there's no structure or anything to it. My therapist lets me write emails of my thoughts to her to help build a picture but its all a painfully slow process given the necessary boundaries there.

Except when you want to spot your patterns, you could briefly reread your entries and use a highlighter to highlight any repeated words/thoughts you notice.

Sadly I often struggle to go back through anything I've written and make sense from it - I can't concentrate on it and it annoys me. And even when writing it can sometimes feel like drunk messaging even if I am totally sober. Don't really know what I'm writing and ruminate too much about it when I try looking back over it.

Even something like hormonal tracking hasn't shown anything useful in terms of patterns when trying to log more 'objective' symptoms over several years now.

 

[Aergia]

Great thread idea!

I'm not much of an artist (and I have terrible handwriting) so I haven't been able to get into any kind of paper journalling, but I have engaged in digital note-taking/journaling so I want to add some app suggestions for anyone interested. I've tried a ton of note-taking apps in the past, and the ones below are the ones I personally found the most worthwhile:

• Day One

Unlike the rest of the apps below, this app is meant specifically for journaling, as opposed to all-purpose note-taking.

I liked this one because of its Markdown editor, and because it's clean and aesthetically pleasing overall. It also has a daily prompt feature which can be helpful if you want to write but don't know how to start an entry.

(For anyone unfamiliar, Markdown's a language that allows you to format text while writing (for instance, adding an asterisk on each side of a word will make it appear italicised). If you like formatting your text, using an editor that supports Markdown is a really efficient way to do it.)

• Standard Notes

If security is important for you, I'd recommend this one. It's a solid app, and relatively minimalist, though the free tier can be a bit restrictive depending on the level of customisation and functionality you want.

• Upnote

If you care about looks and customisation, this is one of the apps I'd recommend. It supports Markdown and has multiple themes, and tons of formatting options. A downside is that the free tier limits the amount of notes you can make.

• Zoho Notebook

Like Upnote, customisation and looks are a priority in Zoho. You can choose from a selection of notebook covers or create your own, choose notecard colours, etc. You can also add audio recordings, files, and photos to your notebooks.

• Notion

I know Notion has already been mentioned above, but I thought it was worth elaborating on given its popularity. If you like structure, it's probably worth checking out—you can add calendars, tables and easily create or find templates for uses like planning, journalling, mood-tracking, goal-tracking, etc. I wanted something more minimalistic so I found it too much, but it's pretty powerful and if you need something with versatility it'd be a good fit.

• Obsidian

This is a minimalist Markdown-based app, and my personal favourite. Obsidian's signature feature is backlinks. Essentially, you can have notes that bidirectionally link to each other (think of linking a journal entry to a quote/book excerpt you've saved and want to write about, for instance). I use it as a sort of commonplace book to keep quotes, excerpts from and notes of books, links and summaries of interesting/helpful articles or videos I've found online, as well as some of my journal entries. There are also tons of plugins available for added functionality or style.

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@ConfusedClouds When I first started keeping a journal my entries were aimless rambles. It felt weird too, in a way, to write—kind of like drunk messaging, like you say. I think starting can be hard but the more you do it the easier it'll become—it can even become comforting. I suggest trying not to overthink what you write at first—just let things out, and as you get used to putting your thoughts onto paper/screen, with due hope, some structure will emerge. Though since it's for you, what matters is only that it's structured and coherent enough for you to understand and be helped by it. In any case, I do think it's worth persisting in for a bit.

 

[Life_and_Death]

if youre struggling on what to write (like i do a lot of the time) maybe try different points of view or 'scenarios'. maybe it flows better if youre

• talking to your younger self
• sending a letter to a friend
• writing a blog
• posting in a chatroom/forum

"what did i do today?"
"how do i feel right now?"

 

[Life_and_Death]

Journal Idea:

Things to tell/remind yourself of today

take a moment to be mindful and maybe youve had a bad day (like ive been having...thankfully...id only label it about a 3 or 4 out of 10 bad day).
Example: Today i want to remind myself that its ok to shut down and turn things away for awhile because im stressed. i want to remind myself to breath, it will all work out the way its suppose to in the end (in a prochoice way).

sort of like having a list of positive affirmations, quotes, memes, ect to go back and read but being more "active" about it