Travel & Life Tip: How to Start A Journal

My lovely friend reached out to me asking about the journaling process, texting, “I feel like I have sooooo many things going on inside my head. Do you have any tips on how to start journaling without feeling silly?”

What a great question!!!! I thought I’d share my response in case anyone else felt the same. 

---

I’m an avid journaler. It’s how I like to start every morning. I’m also a big believer in journaling outdoors. I usually have my journal with me on little walks, day hikes, and definitely during backpacking trips. I have mini journals for the longer adventures, and after the trip, I take the small pages and tape them into my “normal” journal back home.

spending a chilly sunset on the beach with journal in hand

imagine sitting right here with a journal open and just breathing it all in!

I believe it is organic to record your sensations in nature, as it is the place we are fully ourselves, with no distractions. You learn a lot about yourself while “out of service,” and it’s nice to have a pen and paper to get into those sacred, maybe secret parts of yourself. Journaling isn’t for everyone, but it’s something I encourage you to try at least twice. (First, it’ll be weird. Second is when you can get over the hump of intimidation). 

Let’s Start With the Journal Itself

Heavy, blank sheets are my favorite type of paper since I like to paint

Get a journal you can commit to. Every journal is a little different, so be picky. Do you want lines, dots, or just plain paper? What size do you want each page to be? How heavy is your paper (if you’re drawing or painting, you’ll want to go with heavier paper)? What size do you want your journal? Is it small enough to fit in your back pocket? Maybe your purse? Or large so you can see all your thoughts without turning the page? 

It’s always easier to start a little smaller in size so the blank pages become less intimidating. I prefer no lines so I can add paint, doodles, write sideways, and all that stuff. Total personal preference!

You’ll be spending a lot of time with your journal, so make sure it’s one you feel comfortable with. 

How to Start Journaling

Once you’ve secured your journal, it’s time to start. But ahhh! There are so many pages and I have so many thoughts and I don’t know where to start! That’s what happens a lot of the time, and many journals are abandoned on bookshelves. The bigness of writing down your thoughts and emotions can sometimes be daunting! Here are some techniques that may help you begin to ink up that first page.

1. Stream of Consciousness

Just total free flow all of your thoughts. This can be tricky to start, but once you get going, you don’t even remember why you started writing in the first place! Virginia Woolf is the typical literature example of stream of consciousness writing, with sentence-long paragraphs that ebb and flow between thought and place back to thought. Try writing a half page without putting a period! Get it all out there, see what happens!

Stream of consciousness forces you to release. You may have something on your mind, like what was bothering you this morning, and you start to write about it and end up in a totally different mental space! A space that may reveal more about how you’re really feeling than when you were focusing on that bothersome moment. 

Stream of consciousness journaling allows you to not stop to think, but just write. It’s a technique used to start journaling and carry with you in life. 

2. Write A Letter

"Dear God/universe/Mother Nature/Mt. Hood/coffee cup/any inanimate or spiritual object of your choosing..."

Writing a letter enables you to explain emotions and thoughts to someone else, but in a way that feels safe, and not so trapped in your head. The letter is for you, but not for you. It’s for “someone else” so you can organize your thoughts. You can even write it to a specific person, but you don’t have to send it to them. Just get it out of your body and onto paper. Then, it’s your choice what to do with it! Your letter can be a lament or a praise! It is a vessel to communicate with yourself without feeling like your thoughts are so loud. 

3. Make Little Characters and Talk Bubbles

make characters and talk bubbles to process feelings

This method was first introduced to me by Mari Andrews. I don’t know her personally, I wish, but she is one of my inspirations. She is a professional journaler (or an author, but in a journalistic fashion). 

I’ve done this method a few times and I really like it. I draw a little doodle of me, and then I have a talk bubble next to it. Like writing a letter, it makes processing emotions a little easier, because I can see them on paper in a more conversational form. 

4. Acknowledge That Journaling Makes You Feel Silly!

Once you acknowledge that you feel silly writing, then you are free to continue without hesitation, bashfulness, or fear.

be silly!

journals are supposed to be fun! Don't take it seriously at all! There are NO RULES when it comes to journaling. Do what you want! It's your journal.

5. Mindfulness Journaling

Start with just your senses. What can you hear around you? Listen for two minutes and notice the sounds. If you’re inside, is the HVAC whirring? Can you hear passing cars? What minute noises are filling the air? 

If you’re outside, where is the wind? What birds are chirping? Can you hear the stream? What does it sound like? 

What do you see? Hear? Smell? Mindfulness journaling gets your pen moving across the page, and once half that page is filled, writing on seems more attainable. 

6. Dedicated Activity Journal

My gardening journal!

You can always start with what I call a dedicated activity journal. This is where. you devote a single subject to your notepad. This is essentially recordkeeping. Make it fun and add some doodles and color to your progress!

Time to Start

All the journals I've finished since moving here in August 2020

To all my fellow journalers out there, what are some other starting points you use to get your pen flowing? To my non-journalers, I hope this helps! Start small and grow. And next time you venture out into the woods, take a pen and pad of paper and see what you discover.