Want To Get Started With Journaling? Here's How + Tips For Building The Habit, From Experts

From the diaries we kept as little kids to the Notes app we all have on our phones today, writing thoughts down is part of what makes us human.

And journaling, as an ever-popular pastime, allows us to not only vent our frustrations but also record our day-to-day experiences, work through our emotions, and even plan for the future.

Want to try it yourself? Here, we're diving into the many styles of journaling, how to journal, plus tips for building the habit if you're just getting started.

Journaling, by definition, is simply writing in a journal or diary. The beauty of this practice is that the rest is entirely up to you!

You can write about virtually anything you want, take yourself as seriously (or not seriously) as you want, and of course, you can write a paragraph, 10 pages, or anywhere in between.

As artist and guided journal author Meera Lee Patel previously explained to mindbodygreen, "The purpose of journaling is to awaken conscious thinking, which is simply having an honest conversation with yourself."

She adds that this does not mean being conscious of your writing—of the words you're using or the sentences you're forming.

"In fact, if being hyper-aware of your writing is causing you to censor yourself," she says, "it defeats the purpose of journaling."

Depending on which style of journaling you're going for, you might have a more regimented practice or routine (i.e., gratitude journaling about things you're grateful for every day, or dream journaling every morning when you wake up).

But if you're going for your standard "freeform" writing, much like a basic diary, you can take any liberties you like.

Freeform journaling, or daily journaling, is the kind of diary-style writing you probably imagine when you think about journaling.

Mindfulness journaling involves combining a mindfulness practice with a journaling practice, such as by describing your current surroundings or emotional experiences in detail.

You might write down what's going on around you, or the things you can feel, touch, and smell with your senses.

Mindfulness journaling is a great way to get out of your head and into your body, as well as connect to the present moment.

Gratitude journaling, which involves writing down and reflecting on the things you're grateful for, has been extensively researched for its role in mental health.

As one study1 published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology found, feelings of gratitude are linked to the anterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex—regions of the brain that influence our decision-making, willpower, motivation, and mood. 

And by taking your gratitude practice to your journal pages, you're actively carving out time to recall what you're grateful for.

Similar to freeform journaling but with more of a routine, writer Julia Cameron's morning pages technique involves handwriting three pages of thoughts in the morning.

If you're less inclined to write about your feelings and experiences but love keeping a planner, you'll love bullet journaling.

The Bullet Journaling Method combines elements of a calendar, to-do list, and notebook all in one.

This style of journaling allows you to not only reflect but also plan. You can find bullet journals with formats already in place, though many fans of this style opt to create their own pages with blank journals and daydreams all in one place.

If you're someone who always has wild dreams that leave you guessing what they mean, dream journaling might be for you!

As Spinelli notes, "Our dreams reflect our inner subconscious. Dream journaling records our dreams and can help us or our psychoanalyst interpret them."

The key with dream journaling is to keep the journal right on your nightstand so you can write your dreams down as soon as you wake up.

Similar to a dream journal, a tarot journal is a place to write down the cards you pull (and their interpretations) in tarot, oracle, or any other spiritual reading.

Have a goal you're trying to reach? Enter the manifestation journal, which is essentially a journal used for—you guessed it—manifesting.

Manifesting uses the law of attraction to attract things into our lives using positive energy, thoughts, and behaviors, so you can think of a manifestation journal as a written record of what you want to attract.

If you're new to journaling and have no idea what the heck to write about, you might want to check out guided journals with built-in prompts and reflection exercises.

This is a great option if coming up with ideas is stumping you and frustrating you. Just pick a prompt that piques your interest and start writing!

Last but not least, Spinelli tells mindbodygreen you can also keep a therapy journal if you're currently working with a mental health professional. After all, a lot can be said in a one-hour session, and you might want to reflect on it further.

Ready to get started with your new journal? The first thing to figure out is what you want this journal to be. If you're feeling freeform, you're ready to start writing!

Otherwise, ask yourself what it is you hope to get out of journaling. Do you want to feel happier and more grateful? Gratitude journaling, then, would be the best bet for you.

Similarly, if you're looking to be more calm, centered, and mindful, you would, of course, go for mindfulness journaling.

On the topic of habit-building, it can be tempting to get overzealous and push yourself to write pages at a time or for an extended period of time. But that's just a recipe for frustration.

According to Spinelli, another key to enjoying your new journaling practice is to release any judgment, criticism, or expectations for your self.

Things can get heavy when you're writing about a horrible day, a bad breakup, or even a childhood trauma. While journaling can help you work through these difficult emotions, Spinelli explains, "There may be times when journaling may stir up sadness, anger, or other emotions."

Going back to the idea of creating a routine and starting small, try to be as consistent as possible to build the habit up.

If you miss a day, don't get down on yourself about it, but commit to sitting down with your journal and writing something.

And of course, as aforementioned, journaling prompts are a great option to help spark inspiration when you're not sure what to write about.

Journaling has a number of benefits, including most notably, its benefits for mental health. Spinelli says she highly encourages her clients to journal to support their mental and physical well-being.

"Writing down our thoughts and feelings helps to reduce our anxiety, regulate our emotions, bolster our self-awareness, and provides perspective," she explains, adding that it also helps to stop intrusive thoughts and break unhealthy patterns of obsessive thinking.

"It helps us to get unstuck by writing down our thoughts and unloading it from our minds to paper," Spinelli says.

Getting your thoughts out on paper is a great way to express and process emotions, as well as regulate them when you're feeling stressed, upset, or mad.

If nothing else, journaling can be thought of like a date with yourself. It's an opportunity to get clear on how you actually feel about something and work through any difficult emotions. It's intentional time you spend with yourself, and it's an act of self-care.

Last but not least, you'll be happy to know journaling can even help you sleep! The caveat is it's only specific kind of journaling.

Specifically, as research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology2 found, writing a detailed to-do list of everything you have to do tomorrow can help you fall asleep faster.

"The more specifically participants wrote their to-do list, the faster they subsequently fell asleep, whereas the opposite trend was observed when participants wrote about completed activities," the study authors write, adding, "Therefore, to facilitate falling asleep, individuals may derive benefit from writing a very specific to-do list for five minutes at bedtime rather than journaling about completed activities."

From gratitude journaling to dream journaling, there's a style of journaling out there for everyone. And remember, no one's judging if you go out and buy five different journals for different topics.