Get More Consistent With Journaling

I recently did a 30 day challenge to start journaling more.

I also made a video where I shared my journals and notebooks.

And I’ve talked about the many benefits I find in journaling consistently. 

+ clear mind (brain barf what’s in there)

+ more focused on what I’m trying to accomplish 

+ able to work through things (free therapy)

+ document my life 

+ less anxiety

+ calmer mind

So, today I wanted to talk about ways you can get more consistent with journaling if it’s something you’re interested in. 

Give different types of journaling a go.

I don’t just keep a ‘normal’ journal. I also have a gratitude journal, morning pages notebook and my bullet journal. And each of these serve a different purpose for me but I enjoy doing them for different reasons. 

I’m more consistent with morning pages and my gratitude journal than my normal journal. 

But there’s also photo journals, art journals, doodle journals, you name it. 

Choose a time of day to sit and do said journaling.

Morning pages is first thing in the morning and I write my gratitudes right when I get into bed for the night. 

Having a specific time that I do them each day helps to create that routine. And because there’s not really a good time on a daily basis for me to sit down and write in my normal journal I do it less consistently. 

But maybe you sit down with your normal journal at the end of every day before you get ready for bed. 

Ask yourself why you want to journal. What do you hope to get out of it? 

If you don’t have a purpose or a driver to why you want to journal you’ll be less likely to do it. 

Struggling with what to write about? Try journal prompts. 

There are so many books filled with journal prompts, get on Pinterest or find a favorite blogger who shares their journal prompts. [insert Vienda here]. 

Let go of the idea of perfection. 

Hard, I know. Especially with your journal journal. That journal that one day might get published after your death (unlikely, but hey it’s passed through your mind) or the idea of someone reading one day. Wanting it to be well spoken, prolific, all those things that keep you from just writing. 

Make it a challenge. 

A 30 day challenge is a great place to start. I don’t know about you but my mindset changes when I’ve been challenged to do something. I’m not a competitive person, but there’s more of a drive to complete something set out before me. 

Give a template a go. 

This isn’t something I do, but I’ve read from countless people that this is what keeps them consistent. 

Some ideas to add to your template:

+ main thing you did that day

+ anything noteworthy or interesting

+ what did you accomplish

+ anything you read or watched

+ something you want to document 

+ what are you grateful for

+ what’s one thing you need to accomplish for work

+ what’s one thing you want to accomplish in your personal life

There are so many ways to journal and there are no wrong ways to journal. You just have to set out a goal and get started. 

How do you journal? 

How I Celebrate the New Moon

I’ve always admired the moon, but it wasn’t until the past few years that I started ‘celebrating’ the different phases of the moon. And it’s really just an acknowledgement rather than like a seance in the woods. 

And I don’t do it every month, but there are just those times where you’re drawn to doing something to commemorate it.

First off, I want to share some of the phases of the moon. I normally focus on the new moon for some reason. And I always notice the full moon, as well as have it on my calendar. Waxing and waining, not so much, although I do find them interesting.

I also think there is a similarity between the lunar cycle and the menstrual cycle, just like there’s connections between the seasons and our cycles as well.

So, below I have listed out four phases of the moon, the question you should ask yourself during that phase, what menstrual phase it correlates with, and what the essence of that phase is about. 

New Moon - “I want…"

+ menstrual phase

+ new beginnings, optimism, hope

Waxing Moon - “If I were free…” 

+ follicular phase

+ growth, learning

Full Moon - “I release…"

+ ovulatory phase

+ peak energy, gratitude

Waning Moon - “I feel…"

+ luteal phase

+ let go, cleanse, break habits

You can celebrate a phase however you see fit. Like I said above the one I find myself most drawn towards is the new moon, but every now and then I like to focus on the full moon as well. 

But today is about what I do on the new moon. 

Some people like to have a little new moon ritual, but I like to keep it more basic than that. 

I always wait until it’s dark out, turn off the harsh overhead lights, usually light a candle or an intense and use a lamp or the twinkle lights to illuminate what I’m doing. 

Other elements I like to add are music and a cup of tea or a glass of red wine. 

I haven’t been the best at meditating lately, but I like to at least take a few minutes to just sit there silently, if not meditating. 

Once I’ve created the atmosphere and mindset for it, I’ll begin. 

And my chosen ‘main event’ is to write a letter to the Universe. It’s a way to manifest what you want, put what you want into words and send it out into the universe.

I’ve talked before about writing letters to the universe, including a script of how I do it. You can read that here. 

Basically, I start by listing a few things I’m grateful for at that moment before getting into what I’m asking for. I then wrap it up with a few more thanks before signing the letter.

And although I write my letters in either my journal or in my Evernote app on my computer, there’s a sense of putting what it is you want out there and just leaving it along after that.

This doesn’t mean acting upon opportunities that come your way, it just means I’ve put it out there so I don’t need to fret about it anymore. 

Do you celebrate the new moon? What will your ritual/routine be this weekend when it comes around again?