Creative Journaling

January 3rd, 2016

Writing is so therapeutic. You don't need to be an artist to get creative. I write in my journal every day, it is my preferred method of self-care. I get my journals from The Dollar Store, cheap as chips. Every day, I start with the date and time then write whatever comes to mind. I add a list of ten things I am grateful for and why before I close my journal and start my day. Don't know how to get started? Here are some tips:

1-Get a cheap journal from the dollare store and, if you can afford it, buy yourself a special pen.
2-Find your best time of the day. Some of us get up and our minds are buzzing with creative ideas. For others, the best time is at night once everyone else is in bed. Go with your preference.
3-Pick a spot. Is there a cozy chair, a private walk-in closet or a particularly sunny room where you can sit and write undisturbed?
4- Set up a ritual. Just like remembering to take your meds (if you do, in fact, take meds), it is easier to stay with your writing if you have a specific ritual. I read while I'm on my treadmill, I pick out my clothing, grab my journal and head for the shower room. I lock the door and sit on a shaggy carpet next to the tub we never use. That is where I journal. I get in the shower and the ideas play around in my head, leading to insight, as I wash.
5-Don't worry about content, length, quality, grammar. This is for your eyes only. Just start and see where it takes you.
6-If you are struggling with what to write about, draw a circle, divide it into sections like slices of a pie. List the different categories of your life, one topic per slice. Examples might be health, family, career, friends, personal growth, spirituality etc... Write a goal for each section. What would be your  ideal for that category? Then, each day, you can write about one of the categories, describing what you or your life would be like if you achieved your goal and what steps you can take to get there.


You can also write about your feelings. If you are happy, writing can help you savor this moment and return to read about it when life gets more challenging. If you are sad, expressing how you feel and why can help you gain insight into other factors that are contributing to your mood that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. If you are angry, venting can help you calm down and formulate your thoughts in order to communicate more effectively with loved ones.

Gratitude is another trendy topic. I recently saw a post on Facebook where someone created a mandala by writing everything s/he was grateful for in a circular fashion, like a spiral. It was uplifting and beautiful.

If you have observed a disturbing pattern in your behavior, create a comic strip in your journal. Trace out eight squares. Think about the pattern in a step by step fashion. What is happening before the pattern is triggered? How do you behave when you are triggered? What are the consequences of this behavior? How do you respond to these consequences? You can draw or describe each step in the squares. Once the pattern is visually displayed, think about what would happen if you moved the steps around or if you reacted in an opposite way or removed a step altogether. This exercise sounds simple but it can be enlightening.

If you are more visual, you can create a visual journal. Draw in your journal, create a collage with words or images cut out of magazines or newspapers. I recommend glue sticks rather than white glue because a glue stick won't make the pages wet, sticky and lumpy and, it dries faster. You can also incorporate pieces of fabric in your art. One technique I learned at an art therapy conference uses colorful, patterned napkins. Let's say there is a scene of a table in a beautiful garden. You cut out the image you like and place it in your journal. You then brush some diluted white glue over the image to fasten it to the page. You will need to keep your journal open until it's dry but you can create some really impressive scenes this way.

I hope this post has inspired you to try journaling. Happy writing!

Anne