4 Types of Journaling You Should Start in 2021

In the turbulent times, we are all in right now, it’s getting tougher each day to remain sane with all that is happening around us. It has taken a toll on our mental health and is becoming challenging each day as we stay stuck between the four walls of our homes. Something that could help in such times is to journal your heart out. Journaling is the act of putting down your thoughts, feelings or ideas in a book. There are different kinds of journaling and you can choose what works for you.

I will talk about 4 types of journaling that I found quite useful in recent times. So, let’s begin.

1. The Stream of Consciousness Journaling

This type of journaling made the most sense to me. This was popularised by Julia Cameron, the author of The Artist’s Way. In simple words, this type of journaling is to put all your thoughts from your mind onto paper. This could be done right after you wake up called ‘Morning Pages’ or just before you got to sleep.

There are different ways you can do this too. One would be setting a timer say for 10 minutes and write all the things that come to your mind for those 10 mins. When I say whatever, I really mean whatever. You can even write nothing is coming to my mind for 10 min straight if that’s how to feel. It is intended to just go with the flow without any filter.

The other way to do this could be by fixing the number of pages you’re going to fill each day. Let’s say you set a target of 2 pages, you must fill out 2 pages each day. When you’re just starting out you may also find yourself writing what your plan for the day is or what you have done for the entire day.

But as you keep this practice going, it will start to grow on you and you will discover yourself more deeply or get amazing ideas through journaling. It would become a safe haven for you to vent all your thoughts and emotions.

This will definitely help you with your mental health, give you better sleep if you do it right before you end your day, and stay productive and aligned with your goals if you choose to do it at the start of your day. There are no rules to it whatsoever.

2. Gratitude Journaling

The other method of journaling I find really helpful especially during these times is Gratitude Journaling. As the name suggests, you have to put down all the things that you’re grateful for. You could choose the number of things you would mention each day. Again there are no rules, You choose what works best for you!

In the beginning, you may find yourself repeating the same few things but as you keep the practice going, you will find tiny moments throughout your day that make you feel grateful for all that you have. You would always be on the lookout for all the things wonderful that you can acknowledge. This practice when done before bedtime will help you relax.

I do believe that during these times of uncertainty and fear, finding these little moments of gratefulness would make a world of a difference to our days.

3. Plant Journaling

Plant Journaling can be one of the most therapeutic journals to keep during these times. It gives hope that life thrives even in the most difficult times. Even if you own a few plants, you can jot down their watering schedule, add pictures and observations of the plant growth from one season to another. Maybe even add when you last repotted it or added manure to them. There are no rules of course!

4. Current Me vs Future Me

An interesting journaling practice I came across from the Lavendaire Lifestyle was the current me versus the future me. The idea here is to describe your current self and where you’re at in your life and then describe how your future self wants to look like. This will help you set goals and work towards your future self.

You could also use journal prompts to get things going. You could use it as a hint to get you started on a topic and continue with the flow. Each day you can choose a different prompt and start jotting down all that you can about the same. You would be surprised by what prompt gets you reminded of which moment of your life. You could also come up with some amazing ideas to get you started on whatever you’re pursuing.

I have compiled a list of 30 Journaling Prompts for Self-Discovery and 30 prompts for Gratitude Journaling as a bonus freebie for all of you wonderful people. You can click here to download the free ebook.

I'm a beginner at this practice and wanted to share all that I have learnt about journaling until now. I will continue to learn about it further and keep you all posted. For now, I can see the benefits of it. It allows me to brain dump everything on my mind and helps with sleep better. I think you should give it a try too if you haven't already. If it helps you out, come back here and let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. I would be super happy to read them.