Not too long ago, I wrote about all the ways that keeping a journal can improve your lifestyle, your growth, and your creativity. My favourite of these was that a journal is a great outlet for emotional healing and self-reflection. When you write in your journal for therapy or catharsis, you are focused on getting to the root of what has triggered you. You can identify what has made you happy and, more importantly, what has made you sad or angry.

I, for one, always open up my journal to write about how I feel before I consider speaking to someone else about it. It is the best way I know to take a breath and organize my thoughts and feelings into something more coherent. And there are so many different ways to write in a journal to have a positive impact on your well-being.

Today, I am sharing how to write in a daily journal. If you are interested in starting a journal or trying something new in your journaling practice or hobby, stay and read the rest of this post.

Here are 4 different methods of writing in a daily journal.

Stream of consciousness

This style of writing in a journal is done best when a few simple rules are followed. Do not think too much before writing anything down. Do not stop to check for spelling or grammar errors, or to see if the sentences flow together. Do not focus on the structure or the beauty of the words. Do not take a break or interrupt the process of recording it all on paper. Simply let the words come out in a brain dump. You can always pause and think more about what you have written afterward.

This style of journaling is great if you feel overwhelmed and you cannot voice the things that you’re feeling. Writing them down, allowing yourself to be messy and unstructured, and chaotic as you go, helps you to express these innermost feelings that you have without filters. I’ve seen it recommended that using a pen and paper is better than typing on a computer yet I think it comes down to your preference.

Sometimes, you may not like what you’ve written down in your journal; the emotions and actions that are now permanent on paper. The best part about having this reflective conversation with yourself is that you can counter or disagree or give a new perspective to the one that is written down. You write something negative about yourself, that’s fine. But you have the chance to shift it and write something positive underneath it, and become both sides of the conversation.

Stream of consciousness helps you to release any emotions that are holding you back. For that, it is a great method of daily journaling when you are experiencing a lot of stress and hardship.

Journaling prompts

This method of journaling is about finding and following prompts for writing in your daily journal. They can be as introspective or as creative as you want. These may call on you to write, draw, paint, collage, and create something new. The most important thing is that the prompt you use is very specific about what it wants you to do with your journal. They ask you to think of something entirely new.

I think prompts are a great addition to your journaling practice if you need ideas or inspiration about what to journal about. Where the stream of consciousness is about writing anything and everything that comes to mind, prompts tend to focus on a single aspect or subject. For instance, prompts about fear, anxiety, sadness, gratitude, reflection, self-love, and more.

Moreover, these prompts are written in a way that allows you to pause, think, edit, re-phrase, and write it down in a way that makes you happy with the outcome. You have the chance to articulate all your thoughts, feelings, and actions. I especially like the kind that bring certain topics or ideas or questions to your attention that you never thought about until you read them.

Journaling prompts helps you to address all aspects of your life in a way that is meaningful and creative, in addition to helping you learn and discover new things about yourself that you did not know before.

Diary logs

This way of journaling is about having a daily, weekly, or even monthly “check-in” with yourself. Did you ever keep a journal as a teenager and write about every detail of your day? For me, the premise is more or less the same. This way invites you to keep track of your everyday activities; any actions, reactions, and emotions in response to different events.

I think diary logs are amazing for a journaling hobby because there is a lot that you can do with it. You can write about the highs and lows of the day. You can jot down any tasks or activities you did. You can record your daily progress or achievements for goals you might have. The possibilities are endless. But the idea remains that this way of journaling is simple and straightforward. It is like filling in the days of a calendar.

Diary logs help you to track anything and everything in your life on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. With this method, you can always glance back at past pages and have small memories written down to show your experiences over time.

Letters to yourself

This technique of journaling is about writing messages, reminders, and letters to yourself during key moments in your life. It is about loving and caring for yourself enough to want to give meaningful and genuine advice and good wishes to yourself. There are so many letters you could write, and there are so many ways to structure them.

My favourite, that I recently started doing, is writing letters to myself on my birthdays. It is a lot of fun to reflect on all my growth and experiences in the last year, then to write a letter from my past self to my future self. Then, if I find myself struggling or feeling stressed, I can go back to that letter like it is a time capsule.

Another very helpful technique is to write uplifting, positive letters to yourself, notably if you find everything you normally write down in your journal is very bleak and negative and not supportive of yourself. And that’s okay if your journal isn’t what you want it to be. Perhaps, you can start a journal that is completely made up of positive letters to yourself.

Writing letters to yourself in your daily journal is such a beautiful way to express yourself and practise self-love and positivity. With these letters, you can always healthily express your emotions, and be a good friend to yourself.

These are 4 of my favourite methods of writing in a daily journal. To summarize, they are stream of consciousness, journaling prompts, diary logs, and letters to yourself. Each of these methods is very different and focuses on different aspects of emotions and life. If you don’t know where to begin, I suggest playing around and experimenting with many of them in your journal until you find a style that you like the most. I hope you found this post insightful and inspirational.

Happy journaling!