The Basics of Personal Journaling

A journal is often wrongly regarded as tool only for writers, or confused with a journal and assumed only for use by angst-ridden teenage girls. While writers and teenagers can benefit greatly from the practice of regularly journaling, so can anyone who desires deeper introspection.

Keeping a personal journal can increase the understanding of your values, deepen your self knowledge, improve evaluations when a decision needs to be made, and improve relationships with yourself and others. Reading yourself like an open book is possible with an honestly and regularly kept journal.

A Journal Versus A Diary

To decide if you would like to keep a journal, it is best to understand what a journal is. Many confuse a journal with a diary; these two records are not the same. A journal is one step further than the diary. Diaries contain objective records to varying focuses. A diary could be a log of daily actions or a reporting of diet and exercise regimens in fitness journals.

A diary is an objective record-a journal is a record that includes reflections, emotions, and musings regarding what happens. In narrative fiction, the story is drastically different when you are merely reported the facts versus understanding a character's motivations, thoughts, and feelings. If you would like to understand yourself further, and see deeper into patterns to evaluate your standings, you could benefit from regularly keeping a journal.

How To Write In A Journal

Once you have decided that a journal is the write choice of personal expression, you may feel lost at beginning to place those first words in a journal. It is good to understand just how to start writing in a journal. The rule to remember in keeping a journal is that you must have trust and privacy. If you can trust yourself, and others to not view your diary, you have the security of an entirely personal realm of self-discovery. Without personal trust and privacy, you may find your pen falling short of the paper (or fingers short of the keyboard).

To write in a journal, calm yourself and promise to tell the truth in your words. You enter a sacred space in journaling, and you need to allow yourself to be open and honest. Some have difficulties with this depth of communication, even with themselves, but without personal trust you could only be shallowly recording events. Be open, be honest, and be unafraid to bare it all.

Then, as you face the pages, simply allow the words to come out. It may take time or they may seem jumbled, but it is the action of writing that enables you to write. Consider that those who journal usually remain journaling, and those who do not journal tend to continue not journaling.

Deciding The Journaling Style For You

Determining your comfort level with journaling largely determines your journaling style.

You could a be a daily journaler. Maybe you wish to write less frequently, such as two or three times a week. Once a week could work well for some, but often journaling less than that makes events and emotions difficult to capture.

Try to write frequently, but with a rhythm, in your journal and your style will establish itself.

Creating A Journaling Environment

As journaling has style with frequency, it has an environment in time as well. The more you journal, the more you will find that many factors allow you to be more comfortable as you journal.

Pay attention (possibly even journal about) these factors and any others that help or hinder your ability to journal.

-- the time of day

-- the location

-- the position of your body

-- the level of sound: music, no music, silence, coffee house chatter

-- the writing tools

-- the journaling medium (different books or different blog hosts, even computers if you have more than one)

Once you have established your tools, your mood, your style; once you feel comfortable; once you have privacy you are ready to begin journaling.

When you are comfortable and have a rhythm, learn more about journaling and try new things.