How to Keep a Journal

Keeping a journal is a good way to express your thoughts and beliefs on paper. Journals help you to see what is going on in your life and can also help you to solve some problems by writing them down. If you would like to start writing a journal, here are a few ideas of things to write in it.

Make sure you put the date first before you start writing. I always put the date and day of the week at the top of the page. Some people even put the time of day they are writing.

Start out by writing what is going on in your life at the present moment. Have you made any new friends? Did you get a new job? Are you upset about something? Do you need to vent and get it out? Ask yourself questions about your life and answer them in writing in your journal.

Other things to write in journals are your hopes, dreams and goals for the future.

Write down what feelings you are experiencing at this time in your life. Have you been depressed a lot lately? Do you feel down a lot? Maybe you are very happy at this point in your life and everything seems to be going your way lately. Write it down and write what it is that is either making you feel down or feel happy.

Some things that I write in my journal are my 'favorites'. I usually put a list of my favorite things such as my favorite movies, favorite food, favorite songs, favorite sports teams, favorite friends, etc. This way when I look back at my journal several years from now, I can see what movies were out at that time, what songs were popular, what friends meant the most in my life and so on.

I sometimes write little inspirational quotes in my journal that I have seen or heard. I refer to those quotes when I am feeling down and need a little inspiration. If the quote I saw was in an old magazine, I will cut it out and paste it in my journal.

I also like to paste pictures of lakes, ocean scenes, palm trees, sunsets and other beautiful things in my journal. I cut them out from magazines or travel ads and put them in my journal so I can refer to them to put my mind at ease and pretend like I am there. You could also cut the pictures of things that you would like to attain in your life. If you would like to go on a nice vacation, paste some pictures of the type of scene you would like to see on your trip.

You can write your innermost secrets in your journal. If you don't want anyone else reading it, keep it in a hidden place and buy a journal with a lock on it. If there is something on your mind that you don't want to tell anybody, write it down in your journal.

If you ever get furious or angry at someone, instead of yelling at them and saying mean things to them, write it down in your journal. You could write about why this person has made you angry. Vent on paper before you talk to this person. It may help you to calm down a bit and reconsider what you might say to this person because you've had a chance to think first. Sometimes when people are angry, they tend to say everything that comes to their mind. Those things can be hurtful and can cause an even bigger argument. Journaling might help to create some peace with yourself and others.