How to Journal 

OH BOY DO I HAVE A PASSION FOR JOURNALING. I have started and abandoned so many journals, but when I went back to school it was very important to me to remember all of it. I wrote the night before I moved to campus and continued well past graduation. It has now been over two years and I have not missed a single day. BY FAR my biggest tip is to abide by these two simple rules: 1) WRITE EVERY DAY. When I say every, I mean every - consistency, for me, has been key. It does not matter if I write one word or fill five pages, I just have to write every day. 2) Write knowing NO ONE besides you will read it. Be honest and ignore “pleasantries” - your first entry does not need to be an entire history of your life to “catch up” and you don’t need to write in your best handwriting. Scribbles and crossing out and fragment sentences encouraged. Journaling sounds super overwhelming but I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s revolutionized my life. Writing every day ensures I write my thoughts/feelings the day I thought/felt them, and provides a clear insight into how my mind works and how anxiety tricks me. You don’t have to write down EVERYthing that happened to you that day. Write what comes up and feels important, and let go of the rest. (Sometimes, multiple times, I’ve written “Sleep.” as my entry and gone to bed. I know that day was probably a bad mental health day or I stayed up late.) Past me can not lie to future me, as I reread old entries. tl;dr I LOVE JOURNALING SO MUCH.

I use the stream of consciousness method while writing. (I basically write down anything and everything that comes to mind). Sometimes I will think of something, but stop myself because I don't want to write about it. I take this as a subject to pay close attention to and figure out why I am reluctant to engage in those thoughts with myself. It's helped me confront a lot of issues I was holding in, and I'm starting to deal with them.

If you're struggling for what to write it can help to give yourself little prompts. For example, you may jot down good things that happened to you, or moments you were proud of, or things that were said to you that made you smile, or things that you would have liked to have been said to you. This can be an easy way to get started and have something to write down each time you sit down with your journal, which in turn can make you want to journal more/make it easier to find things to write about.

journaling has helped me so much to express my feelings. I always bottled them up, but I've been writing them down and it helps.

oh man i love journalling. whenever im like stressed about stuff or not feeling great i just write it all down and get it out of my head and it's great. i think it helps me let thoughts go because i know i can go back and read them if i really want to. also i write down all my ideas. i switched to bullet journalling like a year and a half ago and it's kind of great bc now i have a planner i actually write in and keep track of (tho tbh im still a little lazy with like actually migrating my tasks and things a lot lol). also something to consider if you start a journal: maybe write down not just the date, but the day of the week and the time. i tend to write more than once throughout the day, and it can be nice to know if i wrote something at 11 am as opposed to 2 am. also don't be afraid of changing your format a lil. it can sometimes take a bit to figure out what works for you. also ive definitely had like bad mental states that sprung from rereading some old entry where maybe i talked about doing something i wasnt proud of or like past me wrote something that current me finds totally unacceptable, and if that ever happens to you it's important to remember that you are not necessarily the same person then that you are now, and that it's okay if past you was kind of gross or mean or whatever else. living is a process. we're all always learning and growing and figuring things out. okay this was all very rambly and longwinded but i hope you enjoyed reading have a nice day, everyone, and good luck journalling :)

I just started journaling and it is wonderful. I love being able to express myself privately. Thank you for all of your hard work!

I have been journaling since I was in first grade. I currently keep a gratitude journal and a journal for all my rambles and anxiety issues. Both are awesome.

I love writing my thoughts down on pen and paper. It's always really hilarious to read what I was stressed about years ago. Also to keep track of what happened and why because just human memory is not reliable.

Journalling doesn't have to be a strictly regimented process - I sometimes go months without journalling and then suddenly write pages and pages. Other times I write daily just because I feel like it, and I have the drive to write. If I kept myself to a schedule I wouldn't still journal today. For me it's also important to keep in mind and continually evaluate the purpose of my journal; am I recording experiences for my future self? Am I processing new and/or challenging events? Am I stimulating my creative juices? Each of these purposes will greatly affect my practical and mental approach to journalling.

Don't put pressure on yourself to do it everyday. I used to try and keep a diary but always failed. 5 years ago my friend encouraged me to start journaling and for some reason I stuck with it and have filled many journals now. I also felt there was a difference between thinking of it as a "diary" vs. "journal". In a diary I had to record everything I did that day, in a journal I don't have to if I don't want to. I like to do it everyday, but I don't always have time or have anything new or interesting to say.

An idea for fellow robot-brain-types: I'm very numbers/tech-oriented person and have alway found the idea of writing about my day almost impossible and alway very uncomfortable. How I get round this is by having a horizontal bar tracking what i was up to during the day hour by hour - usually just 3 blocks of 'home' - 'work' - 'home'. then i add bits of information pointing to different times as and when i want to add them, for example 'takeout dinner :)' or 'big meeting went well'. Some days there will be no notes - only technical details like which train i caught, other days I'll feel more comfortable and add lots. Either way it looks good and allows me to keep a journal without the discomfort :)

I never used a diary because it seemed cliche or kind of dumb. One of my English professor made maintaining a journal part of our grade where we could write whatever we wanted and be as creative as we wanted as long as we were engaged. After being a little hesitant at first, I later became addicted to writing more frequently and now love journaling. :)

I decided to start a journal and it’s helped me have far less anxiety

I always have the inspiration to write a journal in winter when it's cold and dark - sometime before Christmas - and then it just disappears mid-January.

Thanks for clearing up some things! Going to start now!

I used to keep diaries when I was a kid, of just writing down things I did every day or whenever an exciting day went by. Nowadays I keep a journal for recording dreams I had, a journal for when I wish to write down a strong emotional moment (a couple of those came out as letters to my deceased grandmother and great-grandmother), and there's a blank journal that I'm thinking of using for either story ideas or describing what random landscapes pop into my head out of stress relief. x3 I loved writing before I ever knew I did. Journals are definitely like taking a journey of introspection.

I've journaled for years and use MSWord. I use the Heading fonts to denote the date and things like putting gas in the car to track how often that happens. It's great.

Perfect! I was thinking about starting a journal then this shows up in my subscriptions.

I do enjoy journaling. As a writer it helps me process more than simply going to therapy (though that is helpful too.) Some of us really need to get the thoughts out of our heads to see them clearly, even before maybe bringing it to a neutral and trusted party to share it with.

I journal every so often when something happens or when im having certain pervasive thoughts. Usually at night because thats when my brain feels most active. Alot of the time I cant turn my brain off until ive dumped my thoughts onto the page.

I started journaling the summer before I started high school, and I’ve kept it up since then, writing almost every night. Although I will frequently write by hand, something I’ve recently found useful is to write on a typewriter. Obviously, not everyone has one, but you can find inexpensive ones sometimes (like I did), and it allows the benefits of having a keyboard to type, while also not having the distractions and security concerns of computers. I also find that journaling can really help improve your writing, since it allows you to experiment a little with voice, tone, and style, without worrying about coming up with ideas for events and feelings (or other people reading it if an experiment doesn’t work).

I've been keeping a journal for a few years, but I don't write sentences. Instead I make a lot of drawings of objects and places, and I note down funny quotes from friends. Especially on holiday this is so much fun!

Rachel, you are a great host!

When I journal, I try not to concentrate solely on the bad in my life, though it may be therapeutic to write about it. When what I re-read is a bunch of complaints and negative feelings about life, I get really down. Writing things that I am thankful for really helps me put life in perspective and makes me feel better.

I use ommwriter for so much! I'm glad you mentioned them

I used to keep a journal. Until my mom read it and found out I was gay, didn't want to be LDS, and some other feelings and such. it was a violation that has lessened trust since and even she feels bad about it.

Awesome vid! 12 years late for me to this channel but hey I still need some adulting help!!! First step is acceptance!:D

Oh man, I've never done the read later part of journaling.

Could you do an episode on bullet journaling? I've been meaning to start one, but I don't know how.

i like journaling, but it's not a passion. i used to track my dreams, my emotions, some drawing inspiration, list of things (bucket list per exemple), things i like, my wishes, things i'm thankful for, what i want to say to other but can't, letters, trying to be creative...

I know this is very different, but I have a note thingy ob my phone of which I have a documentation of absolutely everything I spend and earn

I know it's weird, but I always have a hard time journaling because I feel like I have to explain everything that led me up to that point. Like someone else besides me is reading it. I don't know why I am my own roadblock so much... Sigh.

I've tried journaling and it's helped me become more self-conscious

To all those wondering if it's okay to journal *this* way or *that* way. YES! Journaling is purely for you, all of the right and wrong ways are personal.

Thanks for the great video!

how can you keep pen and paper journals private?

If security is an issue you can always burn or shred stuff afterwards. However this does make reading stuff back hard.

I found it emotionally painful to write feelings down on a piece of paper. I tend to beat up myself too much when I was journalling and cannot focus on positive things. Then I stopped journalling because it made me unable to sleep at night. Did anyone experience the same thing? Do you have any suggestion to help?

I really want to start journaling. The problem with it is that I have such a packed schedule being a Medical student. Any pointers on how to remain committed?

im interested in arts, philosophy, novel writing, and entrepreneurship, reading books, arguments/debates, researching, which ug course should i take?

What about recording yourself speaking as your journal? Is this less effective than a written journal, or are they both about the same?

Does anyone have advice on how to establish journaling as a regular habit? I've tried to get into it several times but it never seems to stick.

Also, try Bullet Journal!!

I don't journal nearly as often as I should. I'm still using the same journal from college (for a sense of the time frame, it has charlie the unicorn on it and I'm a little embarrassed by that)

Susan Sontag!!! :-D

I hate that people who recommend activities like journaling and meditation have low expectations from the people who do this activity. Everything is up to you. What are you making a video on if everything is up to me??

If you're gonna get into journalling please for the love of god look up Carrol Ryder's Bullet Journal system. Literal life changer, especially if you're ADHD or just have a particularly shitty memory.

Is it commonplace that politicans do journaling? I read a book about the history of the USSR and there the author frequently referenced journals of the politburo members

i use a free program called idailydiary that is perfect for journalling, and can be locked with a password. so much easier to search for things when it's digital and all in one place.

I use journalist to fix my bad logical leaps/ channel my bad thoughts into better thoughts

is it too late to go for my first ug course at 20??

Me, I just give up because I have nothing to say.

I did it for like15 years

these days people do vlogs as a substitute for a journal

Hi third

Is it only me or does she look alot like Velma from Scooby Doo?

Meanin' no offense, but your 'Quill' doesn't even have a nib on it. There's no way you were actually writing.