From Journey to Journaling: 10 Types of Journals to Keep with you for Life

Journaling is a process of jotting down everything from your feelings to your schedule to your tasks. It is a self-management tool that is useful to those who want to navigate their life back into a familiar order. Journals have many possible uses which is why we are here to help you understand what kind of journal to keep. Firstly, do you need them? If you do, what are the types of journals to keep?

Do you need a personal journal?

There were times I felt completely alone. I had family, I had well-wishes, and I even had a few (very few) trusted neighbours. My friends and family would guide me along the way. Their support means the world to me, even today! However, there comes a time when the healing has to take place within despite the loving words of encouragement from a loved one. This is when I was advised about journaling and when I picked it up, I hardly put it down.

That is why I find that journaling is a practice that stays with you and becomes a silent yet trusted companion.

Even if you take an elegant and colourfully designed Moon Celestial Notebook, it should be enough to get you started on a journey of self-discovery.

Benefits of journaling

• Writing down what you feel or what you want to do or think helps release any negative energy you harbour inside you.
• You gain more awareness and clarity about yourself.
• You bravely embark on a journey of self-discovery
• It helps regulate your emotions and boosts mental and physical health
• It helps you break away from the unending cycle of obsessive thinking
• You develop the ability to perceive things from a healthy perspective

Types of journals to keep with you for life

So, what kind of journal to keep with you? There is a wide range from a wellness journal to a mental health diary. Remember that you may not need all these types of journals but once you select the right one, you just find a friend.

• Routine journal: A routine journal is nothing but a journal that gets you started from the day to the night. A routine journal is of four types ranging from a morning journal, night journal, daily, and weekly journal.

• Morning Journal: Start your day with positive thoughts and goals.
  • Night journal: Reflect on your day and prepare for sleep by reflecting on the goals you accomplished by the end of the day.
  • Daily journal: A daily journal is a book you can use to decompress after work or during meal breaks.
  • Weekly journal: For those who do not have the time to write in a journal daily, a weekly journal works. However, you must stay dedicated to this journal every week.

• Gratitude journal: Many times, we focus on the black dot on the wall. A gratitude journal will help you shift your focus from that black dot to better count your blessings. So, go choose the best gratitude journal you can get and begin counting your blessings.

• Recollection Journal: From an event journal to a time capsule journal, you would be surprised at the memories you leave behind. We often forget the good times and significant turning points in our lives. A recollection journal will help you document the good times and take note of the perspectives you developed about life and yourself. Not only the good times but documentation of major changes in your life with factual details can serve you in the future.

• Therapy journal: A therapy journal ranges from a dream journal to a junk and letter journal. We get messages from our spiritual realm through dreams.

• Dream journal: It can get harder to understand the true meaning of a specific dream when the mind loses its thread. This is where a dream journal helps you document what you saw so that you can go back and refer to it any time you want to understand the messages the universe or divine beings are trying to give you.

• Junk journal: On the other hand, a junk journal is a notebook where you can document all your negative thoughts. This is a practice to simply remove all the negative energy.

• Letter journal: The letter journal is probably one of the most important journals. These types of journals are suited for people not comfortable sharing their feelings outwardly. Write it all down, the things you want to say but never could. You experience a meaningful release and also some internally reflected perspective that suddenly pops into your head. Yes, you have all the answers within!

• Organisational journal: Like a routine journal, the organisational journal helps you put everything in order. You can use a daily planner, a finance journal, or even a study journal. Align your goals and your tasks in these types of journals to keep with you until you get everything in order.

• Creative Journal: Are you the creative type and love expressing yourself through creative attributes? Buy either a general or free-writing journal, quotes or poetry journal, or an art journal.

• Parenthood journal: As a parent, I think a parenthood journal is one of the best types of journals to keep. The different types of parenthood journals include a pregnancy journal to document your pregnancy journey, a daily baby log, a regular everyday parenting diary, and so on.

• Adventure journal: Did you go on a trip somewhere? Do you have something awesome to talk about? Are you a frequent traveller? I think an adventure journal such as a trip or travel journal is a storybook in itself and quite therapeutic when you think about it.

• Short-form journal: No time to dedicate to an entire journal? Use short journal formats like a 6-minute diary from bullet journals to word or pocket journals. Just jot down what you think and get on with your day. These types of journals guarantee taking up the least amount of your time.

• Progress and goal-tracking journal: Progress-tracking from the start to the finish line of your goals is a real adventure in itself. The lessons you learned, the milestones you achieved, and the time you took. You can write about your stepping stones, the delays, and so much more. So, you can go from sobriety journals to workout journals, and personal development journals as well.

So, I hope you find these 10 types of journals useful. Still not sure of the types of journals to keep? Check out this authentic Moon Celestial Notebook to get you started. Whether you decide to keep a short-form or gratitude journal, journaling is one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.

Featured image credit: alanajordan from pixabay.com