There are no limits on how to journal; it's all about what speaks to you.
Journaling is all about expressing ourselves.
Whether that be our desires or our fears.
Emotion is a powerful energy, and the more of it you are able to put into your writing, the better.
Lets address just a FEW of the various ways to journal.
Bullet Journal- I've seen bullet journals pop up left and right over the last few years. It is fun and opens space for guided creativity. It’s not just a blank page but instead a ton of little dots that you can create words, pictures or designs from. You can create your food logs, doodles, schedules or lists. This method encourages the writer to examine how their journal makes them feel. I've linked a beginners guide to bullet journaling here
Dream Journal- Dream journaling is SO powerful! It is exactly as it sounds - a dream journal. So often we wake up from a powerful dream that we want to tell someone later, but forget the dream when we wake up again hours later. Our dreams are our subconscious messages. This is why it's important to record these messages. We are finally still enough to allow messages from other realms to come through. It all has meaning. What are your dreams telling you? If you'd like to learn to interpret your dreams then here is a book to guide you through that process.
Click here for the book I like to record my dreams. I prefer the blank pages because I literally just jot down anything I can remember & then revisit and interpret it later. Art- This is probably my least favorite, but my 9 year old loves it. It allows for LOUD expression. Scribbles, meticulous, bold, tedious.. etc.... Words or no words - it does not matter. Remember this is all about self expression. Wreck it Journal - This is a fun one and sounds exactly like it is. This was a new one for me, but my son that’s challenged with ADHD loves it! I actually found it on Amazon after hearing about it from another post. It's a challenge to get him to journal his feelings, but he will play with this book all day long. Yes, play. Some of the pages have things such as " color your name in 10 different colors" "rub dirt on this page" "rip this page up" "poke holes in this page" It may sound odd & destructive (because it is) , but he has loved it in his moments of stress. I've linked the Wreck It Journal I bought for my son here
Brain dump - For some this is daily and for others it’s occasionally, but the idea is to quickly dump everything in our minds into one piece of paper. I LOVE doing this when I'm overwhelmed or experiencing writers block - or any creative block for that matter. From my to-do list, bills to pay, dreams, quick philosophy... literally everything on ONE page. And THEN you can organize it. I easily get hung up on the idea that everything needs to be perfectly categorized or else it's not done well, but when I'm struggling to do that typically that means my mind is too full. And this is such a helpful tool! These are just a few of the ways I enjoy to journal. Try them out - let me know what you like .. or don't like. If you have any other ways that you love to journal and express then I'd love to hear!