If you are looking for Journaling Ideas for Beginners, you are in luck and this is the blog for you! We have 33 inspiring ideas and lots of valuable tips and insights to help you get starting journaling today.
Yes! You see…
We believe that journaling is one of the most potent and powerful self-care activities there is in this world. It’s easy and accessible to everyone.
Plus, it’s fun!
In this blog post of Journaling Ideas for Beginners, you will learn about the benefits of journaling along with some tips and suggestions. Oh… there is also a wonderful list of journal prompts for beginners, too.
- Why Journal?
- Your First Journaling Step (Simple!!!)
- The Purpose of a Journal
- 6 Easy Steps to Writing Your First Entry
- 33 Fabulous Journaling Ideas for Beginners
- 4 Simple Journaling Tips for Beginners
- Different Types of Journals and Who Uses Them
- Add Creativity to Your Journaling
- Final Thoughts On Journaling for Beginners
- More Journaling for Beginners Resources
- Bullet Journaling Resources
Now…
Let’s explore more about journaling before we get to that list of journaling ideas for beginners.
Why Journal?
When you put pen to paper, journaling becomes a wonderful way to sort through your thoughts and feelings. The process provides many benefits such as reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, reducing anxiety, enhancing mental health, and even boosting your creativity.
Further…
Journaling can be a powerful tool for introspection and problem-solving. It can also help you to explore your emotions and motivations.
This is why…
Every morning before I start my day, I like to take a few minutes to write down how I feel, what my intentions are for the day, and what I want to accomplish. This helps me stay on track with my goals and gives me clarity of mind throughout the day.
Enough about me. Let’s get back to you.
Yeppers. For the beginner…
The benefits of journaling can seem abstract if you haven’t tried it before. Be hopeful though, because once you start to journal, you’ll very quickly see how journaling can help you live a more mindful, fulfilling, and successful life.
Your First Journaling Step (Simple!!!)
The first step in journaling is deciding what type of journal you want to start off with on your journaling adventure.
Yep. Like, I said, the first journaling step is simple.
Now…
There are many types of journals to choose from including planners, blank books, journals with prompts, or journals with fill-in-the-blank pages. There are bullet journal notebooks, art journals, and journaling apps galore. We explore more about journaling types a little later on in this blog post.
For now, don’t overthink this.
Just pick a journal that makes you happy.
Do it right now. Make your choice and smile about it. Then read on…
The Purpose of a Journal
Journals can help you give yourself a chance to process and understand thoughts and feelings that might otherwise go unspoken.
Moreover, a journal is a place where you can document your inner musings in depth.
Consider, too, that journal keeping may be used for therapeutic purposes, such as understanding oneself, connecting with someone else, or exploring relationships.
Or…
It can be used for artistic expression and creativity-building. Check out this drawing journaling resource (Pssst… it’s not just for students and is really for everyone!).
Best of all…
A journal provides a safe space where we can explore our thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
Look at it this way:
Your journal is an extension of yourself and is like the world’s best friend who never leaves you alone.
6 Easy Steps to Writing Your First Entry
This is not hard at all.
Just follow these 6 simple steps and you’ll be on your way to creating your first journal entry.
- Make the commitment
- Gather your supplies
- Make the time
- Set the tone
- Get inspired (with prompts if you need them!)
- Get started
Ok, get out your notebook, special journal, pencils, markers, pens, or your writing app… It’s time to get to those excellent journaling ideas for beginners.
33 Fabulous Journaling Ideas for Beginners
Use these beginner journal prompts as you open up to a brand new blank page and unlock the many amazing benefits journaling has to offer you.
- What is the best thing that happened to you today?
- Write about what your name means. Would you ever change it if you could?
- Make a list of seven things you are grateful for. Then, write about one of them in-depth each day for a week.
- What is your favorite way to care for yourself when you are stressed out or sad?
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What do you think your daily life will be like?
- What is the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do?
- Write about a special family tradition you have and explain what it means to you and where it came from.
- Describe something kind you could do for someone else today and explain how you would make it happen.
- How do you feel right now, at this moment? What emotions do you recognize? What feelings seem unfamiliar to you or are difficult to name?
- What part of journaling appeals to you? What part do you struggle with?
- Which holiday best represents your personality? Why?
- Write about the most recent dream you remember having. Was it a realistic dream or a fantastical dream?
- What are you excited about right now?
- Write about a memory or particular moment in your life that you will never forget.
- What is something you would try if you knew it was impossible to fail?
- Write about a person in your life whom you have learned a lot from.
- Write about something that made you smile this week.
- What part of the future (such as a new technology, a new career, or a new phase of life) interests you the most? Why?
- Imagine that you are throwing a dinner party and you can choose 20 guests—alive or dead, friends, family, celebrities, or historical figures. Who would you choose? How would they all get along?
- Make a “reverse bucket list”—instead of listing all the exciting things you wish to do someday, list all of the amazing things you’ve already done!
- What is your favorite type of weather? Rain? Sun? Snow? Explain what you love about it and what kind of mood it puts you in.
- Write about something that stresses you out. Why do you think it makes you feel stressed? Are there any steps you could take to feel more relaxed about it?
- Write a short story with a dramatized version of your first day of school.
- Think of something bad that happened to you recently—and then try to find and write about a silver lining from the situation.
- Write about one thing you learned last week.
- List a color, a number, and your favorite food. Then, write a short story that uses each of these items in the plot.
- Write about something you need to accomplish today. Will it be easy to do or is it something you’ve been putting off? How will you get it done? Be specific.
- Write about something you’re looking forward to in the near future—a special treat waiting at home, a day off, a visit with a friend, etc. Describe why you are excited about it and imagine what the experience will be like.
- What is your favorite quality about yourself? Why do you value this quality? What are some other things you also like about yourself?
- Write about a new skill that you have always wanted to learn. Why does this new thing appeal to you? Do you think you’ll ever take the time to learn it?
- If you could give any one person any gift in the world, who would you give the gift to—and what would the gift be? Why?
- Write about something that you’re an expert on. Explain some of what you know and why you are interested in the topic!
- Write about a time when you exceeded your own expectations. What did you accomplish? How did you feel when you were done?
I hope you enjoyed this list of journaling ideas for beginners.
4 Simple Journaling Tips for Beginners
Yes, these are helpful journal keeping tips so check them out.
1. Journaling is not a replacement for therapy. Rather, it is a tool to help you find your own wellness, discover your thoughts, and motivate you to take the steps needed to live a more fulfilling life.
2. Journaling can be difficult at first but it gets easier with time and practice. You might start by writing for 5-10 minutes per day or trying out different types of writing exercises that are meant to help you work through specific problems in your life.
3. Every journal entry does not need an introduction or conclusion, but some people like using them as a way of reaffirming their own thoughts and feelings about the topic they are writing about or giving themselves closure on an issue they have been struggling with for some time.
4. Some people may find journaling tedious at first, but it can be loads of fun if you have a positive mindset going into your journal time.
Different Types of Journals and Who Uses Them
Journaling is a very popular form of self-discovery. It is used for many purposes, including managing your to-do list, keeping track of the highlights of your life, logging your reflections, thoughts, and feelings, and even healing from depression and trauma, and more.
The journal can be a personal and creative outlet for artists and non-artists alike. It can be the place where we unleash our creative side without any judgment or criticism.
- Bullet journaling is a style of personal organization that includes bullets and short paragraphs to make tasks appear more manageable. (See our bullet journal ideas here.)
- Diary-keeping provides an outlet for inner thoughts and feelings that are not always communicated through other means.
- Gratitude journaling helps people focus on the positive things in their life by providing prompts to write about what they are grateful for on any given day.
- Therapeutic/Healing journaling can be helpful when someone is trying to work through difficult emotions or memories and would like a safe place to put them down on paper.
- Sketchbook journaling is a place where you can create art in the form of sketches and drawings. These journals offer you a space to draw, sketch, paint, color, doodle, or write anything at all.
Special Note: Sketchbooks are not only for artists though – even if you don’t consider yourself an artist you will find that there are many benefits to sketchbook journaling.
For example, it provides a creative outlet for writers who want a break from their computer screens and to get out of their headspace for a while too.
A lot of people use artistic journaling as a creative release for their day-to-day life or to explore their creativity in a new way.
Now,
Let’s explore creative journaling some more…
Add Creativity to Your Journaling
Art journaling is a form of self-expression through drawing, sketching, “arting”, and writing.
Of course…
The purpose of an art journal is not necessarily to produce a masterpiece; it’s about the process and exploring your creativity when you’re doing it. You could create doodles, use stickers, paint, stamps, or add ephemera to your journal.
Some people use art journals as an outlet for anxiety, stress, or sadness when they don’t have the means to express themselves otherwise. Others use it to get the creative juices flowing again when they feel like they’ve hit a wall.
The bottom line is that art journaling is a way to express oneself in a creative way.
Best of all, there are no boundaries to what you can create and do in your very own art journal.
Final Thoughts On Journaling for Beginners
A lot of people have the fear that journals are private and that you shouldn’t share them with anyone.
Yet…
The truth is that journals are just another form of writing and self-expression, so it’s completely okay to share them with people you trust. (It’s your choice!)
Another common myth is that one needs to be a certain type of person or have a specific talent in order to keep a journal.
This is not true at all! Journaling is something anyone can do, no matter what their interests are or what they hope to achieve with it.
So go beyond any limitations you hold in your mind about journaling and set yourself free to journal in whatever way you want. I know you’ll be glad you’d did!
Ok, that’s all for today.
Until next time, journal on…
If you enjoyed these Journaling Ideas for Beginners please share them on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest.
I appreciate it!
Sincerely,
Journal Buddies Jill
journalbuddies.com
creator and curator
More Journaling for Beginners Resources
- Our very own ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL How to Journaling Guide
- Guided Creative Writing Topics that Make Journaling Easy and Fun!
- How to Start Writing a Journal Even if Your Not a Writer
