6 interesting Ways to Journal
When you think of keeping a journal, I’m sure the first thing that comes to mind is the traditional “Dear Diary” format–basically a letter that recaps your day. But there are so many ways to keep a journal. You can write full sentences or fragments of ideas. You can draw illustrations or collage your favorite photos. Your journal can be time-bound or ongoing.
Here are 6 interesting ways to journal:
01. Book of Lists
One of the easiest ways to journal is to make a series of lists. It allows you to keep track of goals, but also is an interesting way to get to know yourself. You can make lists like:
Things I need to buy for my apartment
Top 10 Favorite Movies of All Time
The Soundtrack of Summer 2020
Books I want to Read this Year
Places I’ve traveled to
People I’ve dated and the things I learned
02. Scrapbook / Art Journal
For visual-focused creatives (and enthusiasts) the easiest way to journal is to use photos and drawing to tell your story. The Scrapbook method is a fun way to keep track of your memories. You can document the day-to-day with photos you’ve taken. Or you can print and compile your favorite bits of inspiration for later consumption.
The simple act of collage helps you clear your mind and come up with new connections between disparate ideas. For people who enjoy drawing, you can draw a highlight from your day or illustrate the things you bought during a shopping trip.
03. Bullet Journal
Bullet Journaling is a way to rapidly log your tasks, events, and notes. Find focus and be productive while keeping track of your day-to-day. Founded by Ryder Carroll, this is a wildly popular way to organize your personal information.
04. Gratitude Journal
Increase your positivity and focus on the good in your life by starting a gratitude journal. In the morning and the night, you focus on something small or big to be thankful for. With daily practice, you will begin to see the love, joy, and grace that you experience every single day.
05. Wellness Tracker
One of the most common goals is to live a healthier lifestyle. One of the easiest ways to build healthier habits is to track your progress. In your wellness tracker, you can plan your meals, document your workouts, and reflect on your fitness journey. It’s a useful tool to set goals but also helps you see how your willpower can ebb and flow over the course of the month.
06. Today in 3 Sentences
This is my go-to method of journaling during the week. The goal is to think about everything that happened in your day and distill it into three sentences.
It can be dry, like: Woke up late. Work was hectic. Incredible dinner with friends.
But it can also be a small opportunity to be poetic. For example: A weary boy sings the blues. He’s wearing blue jeans. And his favorite blue shirt. (This example was written as a reminder of a live show that I saw one night in New Orleans. Anyone else reading it might not understand, but for me, it conjures a memory.)
Self-care is not selfish…it is necessary. Here are some quick reasons why
1. Helps To Prevent Chronic Stress.
Everyone experiences stress from work, school, and relationships. Stress, when experienced over a long time, can really harm your health. Research shows that stress can weaken the immune system and inflame the body, making us more prone to cases of flu, weight gain, experience sleep issues, stomach ulcers, depression, diabetes, and heart disease.
Finding a self-care routine to implement during stressful times is essential to your health.
2. Improves Your Mental Well-Being.
It has been known that engaging in a self-care routine has been clinically proven to improve concentration, increase happiness, and boost your energy.
3. Reduces Risk of Disease.
Clinical studies confirm that self-care reduces risks of cancer, heart disease, and getting a stroke. Spiritually, self-care may help keep us in tune with our higher power and your life purpose.
4. Improves Relationships.
Good self-care is key to a good relationship with oneself and others. We can only give what we have within us. So if we exhaust ourselves and just keep on giving our time and energy to others, we will have nothing left for ourselves.
5 Mantras for navigating uncertainty
In your most challenging moments, it’s easy to fall back into old patterns.
To forget your progress.
To feel defeated and want to quit.
But today’s opportunity is to remember that this season is designed to help you grow.
This season might be confusing and at times exhausting.
But you can’t avoid it.
You just have to make your way through it with as much dignity and grace as you can muster.
Make decisions with courage, not out of fear.
Make changes if necessary.
And believe that you are being refined through this moment.
You are becoming a wiser, more loving, more beautiful version of you.
Here are 5 Mantras for Navigating Uncertainty:
The Universe Always Provides For Me
I Overcome Every Obstacle In My Way
I Trust The Journey Of My Life
I Am Surrounded By Love And Support
I Am Enough Just As I Am
3 Empowering Life Lessons from Wednesday Addams
Here are 3 empowering life lessons from Wednesday, the new Netflix spinoff of The Addams Family.
1. Embrace your weird. There’s no point in fitting in if you can’t be your most authentic self.
2. Speak your mind. There’s power in communicating honestly and directly, even though occasionally the truth can slice like a knife.
3. Be strong enough to survive alone, but open up enough to let people in. Boundaries are healthy, but you have to let your guard down to truly find your tribe.
How to Make friends as an adult
Making friends as an adult can feel like trying to solve a puzzle blindfolded. You know the pieces are there, you just can’t seem to make them fit.
You know the pieces are there, you just can’t seem to make them fit.
But fear not, dear human, because making friends as an adult is not impossible. It just requires a bit more effort and strategy than it did back in your elementary school days.
Here are 7 tips to help you navigate the sometimes-rocky waters of adult friendship:
Embrace your inner weirdo
One of the best things about being an adult is that you don’t have to pretend to be someone you’re not to fit in. Embrace your quirks and interests, and don’t be afraid to let them show. Chances are, there are other people out there who share your weird hobbies and passions.
Get out of the house
Making friends as an adult requires actually putting yourself out there. Sign up for a class or club that interests you, attend networking events or conferences, or even just take a walk around your neighborhood. The more you put yourself in social situations, the more opportunities you’ll have to meet new people.
Be open to different types of friendships
As adults, our lives tend to become more complex and we have less time to devote to friendships. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to have a smaller number of friends. Be open to different types of friendships, whether they be casual or deep. You don’t need to spend all your free time with a new friend to consider them a friend.
Put yourself in the other person’s shoes
A crucial aspect of any friendship is the ability to understand and empathize with the other person. Make an effort to understand their perspective and be supportive, even if you don’t agree with them.
Don’t be afraid to make the first move
As adults, we can often become passive in our pursuit of new friendships. But remember, you won’t make any new friends if you’re always waiting for others to make the first move. So go ahead and invite that colleague you always chat with at work for lunch, or reach out to that person on social media you admire from afar.
Be consistent
Friendship, like most things in life, requires effort to maintain. Make an effort to keep in touch with the people you care about and make plans to get together regularly. A quick message or call once a week can make a big difference in keeping a friendship alive.
Don’t give up
Finding friends as an adult can be a process and it may take time. Don’t be discouraged if it takes a while to find people you click with. Keep trying different things and putting yourself out there, and eventually, you’ll find the friendships you’re looking for.
Remember, making friends as an adult can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. Keep these tips in mind and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. With time, effort, and a little bit of luck, you’ll find the friends you’ve been looking for.
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