Journaling as a tool to self-expansion
Sharing my favorite journaling techniques and letting you inside my personal diary. It's going to be a juicy one!
Writing this issue made me realize that journaling is the longest habit I have managed to keep in life. I started carrying a diary with me when I was around 6-7 years old. Of course, back then I didn’t even know journaling was a thing.
Pairing words with drawings with cutouts from magazines, tons of glitter, and stickers was one of my favorite activities growing up. One of the first forms of self-expression, with no desired outcomes or pressure to make anything perfect. Those pages were just for me and no one else. Looking back I feel so much love for little Flo who was starting to explore her creative side with the tools available around her. I asked my mom back at home to send over scans of the covers of some of my childhood and teenage year journals. Tears full of nostalgia almost rolled down my face.
My journaling doesn’t involve as much color or glitter as it used to but it’s a practice that continues to keep me grounded in those happy, exciting, sad, or overwhelming moments of my life.
Today I want to share with you my favorite journaling techniques that have allowed me to build this habit and to keep my head clear, having a positive impact on my mental health.
Brain dumping
I have tons of journals/notebooks. I love the sensation of writing on the first page of a fresh journal. I have one for recipes, one for ideas, one for tasks/calendar view, one where I write all my dreams, a small one for grocery lists, and my most precious one: my brain dump journal. This is essentially my diary — where I write exciting things that have happened or are about to happen, any goals, mantras, and visions for the month. In this journal, I write when I can’t sleep and I need to pour out all what’s on my mind, what’s bothering me. We can say that this is a freestyle journal that allows me to vacuum my brain and reduce the noise in my subconscious. If you haven’t tried writing on pen and paper before and would like to start a journal, this is where I would recommend you to start. Grab a notebook, put your favorite stickers on the cover and start writing whatever is on your mind. If you struggle to start writing, you can think of a prompt (a question or a theme to help you get started).
Lists
Lists are also a form of brain dumping and one of my favorite ways of journaling. I rely on lists so much in my day-to-day to get things done and feel a sense of accomplishment when I am checking things off but also to manifest ideas into reality.
Morning Pages
A concept brought by Julia Cameron in her book ‘The Artist Way’ morning pages are ‘streams of consciousness writing done first thing in the morning, in three pages’. I started doing this for the first time this year and at first, I struggled to write more than one page in my journal. After a few weeks of practice, I started letting myself flow and it has been so good for my brain to just dump whatever is on my mind as I wake up and start the day with less noise on my brain.
What you write on your morning pages doesn’t have to make sense, doesn’t need to follow any structure. This is an exercise for you to pour out everything that is on your brain in order to feel more focused, have more clarity and reduce anxiety as you start the day.
Doodling and mind maps
Also a fun and approachable way to let yourself be creative and develop the habit of journaling. Last night I was so inspired by my birthday approaching so I grabbed my journal and started mapping all the things I want to lean towards as I enter this new cycle of my life. When I finished this exercise, I felt so much clarity and inspiration that will carry me through this new year.
Other fun ideas to get started on journaling
Writing whatever is on your mind on your Notes app; lists, random thoughts/ideas
Making notes on your book and highlighting as you read through chapters that resonate with you
Looking back to your screenshots folder to all those quotes from Instagram or Pinterest and writing back in your journal those words that resonate
I’ve noticed that sometimes playing some chill cosmic tunes supports my brain to get inspired into writing. I made this playlist for us to listen to while sitting down with our journals. This is also a great study time playlist with my favorite tracks for a soft Sunday morning <3
Final thoughts
I believe keeping a diary with me throughout my life has made such a huge difference in my mental health and I don’t picture life without journaling. This practice has also helped manifest so many dreams into reality and it’s so powerful when you go back to an old journal and read fragments about your dreams or projects that are now materialized. Going through my old 2023 journal, I found a page where I wrote I would really love to have a newsletter. One year later, here I am!
Never underestimate the power of words and the magic of writing things down with intention.
If you made it this far, thanks so much for reading me! If you’re feeling inspired, please forward this newsletter to a friend and encourage them to subscribe too. <3
Thank you so much for sharing! I do Morning Pages daily and that's been transformative! Also, my 7 year old and I recently got into junk journaling which feels really freeing and essential for anybody with perfectionist tendencies. 😂🥰
I have also journaled for years and loved the artists way morning pages. They felt good for my mental health, to get everything out my head and on paper. I am excited to give your Spotify playlist a listen to next time I journal! Thank you! :)