Serenity Now: 5 Tips for Journal Writing

As a child of the nineties, I couldn’t resist naming our series on finding peaceful moments in the craziness of daily life after a Seinfeld catchphrase. But in all seriousness, I think taking moments to take a breath is critical to maintaining balance, perspective, and happiness. For me, it’s how I see the beauty in the day-to-day; otherwise, life quickly becomes one long series of hectic days that blur into hectic weeks, months, and years.

Up first: journal writing (I know, boring, right? But it doesn't have to be...keep reading.)

My library of 22 years of ups, downs, and everything in-between

I've been a pretty consistent journal writer since I could write and for me, it has a grounding effect. In its own way, it’s become a form of meditation where I can stop and consider my day. Over time, going back to read past entries lets me remember small moments and mercies I would have otherwise forgotten--and, of course, laugh (and cringe) at myself and the things I once considered such tragedies and injustices.

Here are 5 tips to get you started:

1. Make it a habit. I’ve found the most benefit when I journal consistently. For me, that’s almost daily. I take five minutes to write while I’m sitting in bed at the end of the day (I also keep my journal on my nightstand so it's accessible). Keep your entries short—it’s a lot easier to write often if you don’t feel the pressure to be long-winded.
   
2. Pick a theme. Instead of just writing about your day (which can quickly start to feel boring), choose a theme to guide your entries. It helps prevent writer’s block, and You’ll usually end up covering the most noteworthy part of your day anyways. For example, some months I’ll try to write about one thing I’m grateful for each day. Another month, I’ll write about how I saw God’s hand in my life that day or one thing I found beautiful.
   
3. Record your feelings. When I read over past journals, I always find more value in the entries where I recorded how I felt about an event rather than the event itself. I try to focus more on my thoughts, impressions, and feelings than on the who, what, when, and where.
   
4. Give yourself permission to skip big events. Recording things like trips and holidays can sometimes feel daunting and put the skids on your journal habit. Let yourself skip them (you’ll probably remember them anyways) or jot down just a couple brief highlights.
   
5. Choose the right journal. I love buying journals, but if I choose one that’s too “serious” (i.e leather-bound and expensive) it can stymie my free expression because I feel pressure to make my entry worthwhile. Choose a journal you love looking at, that opens easily, and has your preferred line spacing. Here are a few that caught my eye:

Confetti / Feathers / Letters

Marble  / Foil Floral / Damask

Dahlias / Floral / Dots