What does Warren Buffet, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Aniston, Thomas Edison, and Benjamin Franklin have in common? You guessed it, they are all very famous! However, they also shared the common habit of journaling throughout their adulthood. While many people give up journaling after their teenage years, others realize that there are many benefits to starting or continuing to journal as an adult! Checkout my article, “The Importance of Journaling” for more information on all the good that comes from journaling daily, especially as an adult!
Mental Strength
Mental strength is defined as, “the ability to manage your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in a productive way, even when faced with challenges”( Everyday Health, “All About Mental Toughness”) The beauty of journaling is real. Journaling helps you process emotions, manage your stress levels, grow your self awareness, and journaling also helps you cope better.
Journaling Comeback?
When you start journaling as an adult, you’re joining a club that only contains only 8% of the adult population! However, since COVID-19, there has been a warm up to the idea of writing thoughts down on paper. Back in May of 2020, people started using the acronym PJP, which stood for “Pandemic Journaling Project.” This was a neat idea that allowed the everyday person to record the historic event of COVID-19 through journaling. You could choose to document personally or share your experience with the history books. To learn more about PJP, checkout this link https://pandemic-journaling-project.chip.uconn.edu/
On top of this, we now have some really cool options for journaling now, such as; Moleskin Notepads, Galen Leather, Rhodia, The Goulet Pen Company, Field Notes, and so much more. I will talk a little bit about Gallen Leather and Field Notes at the close of this article.
So What Do You Write About?
The great news here is that you can choose to write about anything! You could jot down some thoughts about your day, you could summarize a few pages of a book you were reading, or you could even track your progress and journal about an exciting video game you’re playing. Maybe you have an upcoming vacation and you just want to jot down some ideas on what plans you’re going to make while away. Many people will journal about their weight loss journey or even keep track of their strength training progress and goals. Last but not least, you could simply just recap your day.
Gratitude Journal
When you start to journal as an adult, one fantastic idea is to create a gratitude journal. This is where you jot down all the great things you’re able to do day in and day out. Another idea with a gratitude journal is to maybe document an experience you had as a child, such as a family reunion or memorable wedding. Lastly, you could journal about a favorite place or time of the year. Again the possibilities are endless here!
Journal Prompts
Journal Prompts are ideas or questions already predetermined to help you gain inspiration to write in your journal. You can find journal prompts in books, online, in journaling forums, or in Facebook Groups. Journaling Prompts work really well when you’re starting something new, like starting to journal again as an adult, or if you have a bit of writer’s block. They will give you the jump start needed to start or restart your journaling journey.
Examples
Here are a few Journal Prompt examples to start.
- What is a place you’d like to visit, and why?
- What is something new that you’ve tried this year?
- What were you up to 10 years ago?
- What are you most proud of?
- What is your most treasured possession?
- What was your childhood like?
- What is your favorite way to journal (paper, pen, computer, etc)?
Accessories Galore
One really exciting aspect about journaling now is that there are so many resources and accessories available. Companies like Galen Leather put in tireless effort and make fantastic journaling accessories like folios, pen cases/holders, notebooks, and even writing boxes! The owners have an interesting story and the quality is superb! One item that I purchased from Galen Leather was an A5 Zippered Notebook Folio. This notebook will keep my journal safe and will also allow me to carry along some additional items like a pen or business cards.
Another great company I would like to highlight is Field Notes. The idea behind Field Notes is that for the past 100 years promotional books were distributed to farmers. The cofounder of Field Notes, Aaron Draplin was a collector of these books when he got the idea behind Field Notes. Field Notes are extremely handy, because they can go anywhere with you and are very clever and fun to use! Each quarter they share a “Quarterly Edition” that always has a neat theme that allows you to keep track of your days anyway you’d like. They also have an edition of books dedicated to gaming!. These books tend to keep my thoughts clear and allow me an“on the run” journaling tool that allows me to keep my thoughts collected or a grocery list or notes handy!
Conclusion
Hope this article helped you realize that journaling as an adult is a great habit to take up that will help you mentally in tremendous ways. Please feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below and also let me know what else you might be interested in..