Journaling: Top 10 Topics to Include in Your Personal Journal

Stacy Modisette
Mar 14, 2023
6 min read

WHY JOURNAL IN THE FIRST PLACE?

When beginning a new journal, many people ask, “What do I write about?” Well, here are some ideas to include in your journal, or at least some ideas to think about. But first, let's talk about journaling a little and how it benefits us.

Journaling helps us relieve stress and anxiety. The actual form of writing can be very calming as your fingers and your brain are focused on, well, writing. Writing has a tendency to bring us into a zone. A zone where nothing else exists but you and that page and what you are discussing with your journal. Mentally removing yourself from the world. This can be very beneficial to the brain functions, similarly to when we play games such as Sudoku, puzzle games, other any other game that makes you focus. I'm not talking about mindless video games here either. I'm simply referring to thinking games that improve brain function.

The best way to journal is in an actual writing journal. The act of writing in itself has many benefits including hand-eye coordination, memory, neuron dendrite connections and re-wiring the brain to thinking in a more positive manner rather than a negative one. You can also doodle and draw things that "pop-up". This can be a fun activity you add to your journal. Not to mention that scientists have found that doodling also helps improve brain function and memory. However, in today's world the majority of us are using tablets, computers, our phones, etc. Journaling in any manner is very beneficial to both our physical and mental bodies and can help reduce potential dementia and Alzheimer's diseases in the future. So, however you do it, at least you are doing it. You may start out using a computer or tablet and decide you want to move onto using an actual paperbound journal book or you may start out with a paperbound book and find it easier to keep up with a tablet or something. Whatever the case may be is totally your choice and whatever makes it easier for you. The point here is to make it fun and enjoyable, not a chore or yet one more activity I have to add to my list of things to do.

Ok, so now, you have a blank page in front of you and your mind goes blank. What should I about? What actually happened today? I've been so busy doing, I can't even remember half of what I did.

Well, to help you out, I've compiled a list of a few questions to ask yourself that might help joggle your memory. Some questions on the list might help you stop and think about the actions that you took today and ways to improve on those actions as well. Creating a more positive forward thinking in the future rather than letting negative thoughts and actions run our daily lives. Because we all know that sometimes the smallest things can set us off. Sometimes just the copy machine being out of ink in the morning can cause a downhill spiral of negative thoughts and actions. Journaling can help relieve that stress and even help you discover ways to create a more positive reaction to life's daily ups and downs.

Helpful Tips:

For important ideas: Let's say your writing along and you come up with an awesome idea for something and you jot it down in your journal. Tape or glue something that reminds you of that idea to the page like a permanent bookmark.
Doodle often, draw out your feelings too. Add color, paste pictures, be a kid again.

JOURNALING FOR KIDS

Starting your kids out early on journaling can benefit them in many ways as adults and can help them to stop and think about their actions as well.

You can create a checkoff list for your children as well. Kids can write about their behaviors. Writing about your daily behaviors can help you recognize what you do to others and how you react to certain situations. Which in turn can bring about positive changes in your life or your child's life.

Here is a small check-off list I have compiled for my kids. They check off the items listed in an app. I use Microsoft To do list at the bottom of the checkoff list is a section for details where they can discuss the actions they checked off for the day. The bad behavior list helps them see what they do to others and they come up with ways to prevent them from happening again. The Good behavior list helps them see what they do on a daily basis and helps them increase those behaviors. Now, they enjoy creating stories and writing about all kinds of things, not just writing about their daily lives and checking off in their journals.

Here are just a few things you can put on your check list. Make it your own. In the beginning you have to ask yourself; Did I do.... Was I ....

Bad Behavior List: Good Behavior List:

Fight * Compliment someone
Argue * Be Creative
Dirty Looks * Helpful
Tone of Voice * Polite
Ignoring * Responsible
Complaining * Respectful
Negative talk * Kind
Disrespectful * Listening
Flat Mean * Thank You- Yes/No Ma'am/Sir

JOURNALING FOR TEENS

By the time they become teens, they have already got the idea of how to journal down and can move forward into including more and more of their ideas, study materials, etc. Not to mention it can be a great form of release of emotions for our teens as they go through so many changes in life. Between chemical changes in the body, physical changes, friendship changes, school changes, etc. etc. Teens have a lot to deal with and if they already have the journaling thing down well, they can focus better on finding ways to cope with these new changes and emotions they are going through. However you choose to journal, it is up to you. So go grab an empty journal book that you connect with or download an app that you feel you can work with, or both for that matter and go get to being creative. Make it fun, make it yours, make it personal.