Hi Friends! Jacki here. So far we are on day 9 of the 30 Day Journaling Challenge I started on Instagram! If you want to join in click here to go to our Instagram!
I wanted to put together some ideas to help you get started on journaling as we all trek through uncharted territory with the COVID-19 Pandemic. Currently here in Austin we are in "lockdown" as many of you are too. Please know that we are in this together! Journaling can be such a wonderful outlet in everyday life and especially when hard things are happening like this pandemic. For me, I want to remember these days and how they went for me personally, what my struggles and fears and joys were. Here is a list of a few ideas you an implement into your journaling as we go through this time in our world:
1. Write out one thing you are grateful for as you start each journal entry.
- This is how I have been trying to start out my journaling entries since the start of the journal challenge. I can usually find something to be thankful for no matter what - sometimes its even just thankful for a simple cup of coffee that day. Gratefulness can be an uplifting practice when things are hard.
2. Write down your current situation.
- What's going on in your city? Are you on lockdown? Are you still going to work or working from home? Have you lost your job?
3. How do you feel about what is going on right now?
- Does it make you secretly happy to be able to stay home? Are you bored out of your mind? Are you feeling sad/happy/depressed? Write all of these things out to remember how you were feeling about each day.
4. Add in some creative drawing to your journal entry.
- Most of my entries consist of some sort of doodling or fun way of writing the date or title to my entry. It always feels nice to creatively doodle or draw letters or a small picture when I am journaling.
5. Try your hand at a small poem to mix up your journal entries.
- In high school I wrote poetry. It was part of my angsty, emo teenage years and the poetry was all very sad and depressing. Yet as I have aged I have found that in writing a short poem I can describe the things I am feeling so much better than in regular words and my poems now can actually be very uplifting. While my "poetry" is probably not grammatically correct all of the time, the ambiguity and depth that I can simultaneously relay as I write a poem is soothing to me. Just give it a try, maybe you'll see what I mean :)
6. Just write something and keep it simple.
- Some days I have to keep it simple, either I don't have time to sit and write or I don't feel like it! But, when you are feeling this way try to write something, it can literally be one sentence. It can be simple and short and sweet, but that doesn't make it any less important. Something is better than nothing!
Alright, I hope you have found these ideas helpful as you take on or continue your journaling process. This is just a start! Think of your own ideas or do a google search! There is a plethora of information on journaling out there, but don't let it overwhelm you. Starting wherever or however you want is good enough. You will be happy to have these thoughts written down as you reminisce and look back, also writing things out can help you process feelings too!
This is a strange time in our world for all of us with this pandemic, let's write out our journal entries together as we go through this!
Sending hope and prayer to you and yours,
Jacki