I do a lot of journaling.
It’s one of my favorite things; I’ve been doing it since I was 9. There were times when I stopped, but I always come back to the practice, because not only it helps me immensely to deal with trauma, but because it gives me a lot of joy. 1
Since I started doing it in the 80s, when computers were still something out of Sci-Fi movies and maybe the NASA quarters, I did all my journaling on paper. I used any notebook I could get my hands on; sometimes I would take my used school notebooks, rip out the written pages, and then make the cover pretty with gift wrapping paper or fabric.
In 2011 I started journaling digitally. I installed a wiki on my computer, and it was fantastic. My journals now were searchable; I could link entries to other pages and older entries to add context and find connections.
Since 2020 I do my journaling on my Notion. I have a dashboard and a pretty fantastic set-up.
Last year I went back to journaling on paper, too .2
It started like this:
I still miss those burned diaries. 3 So I’m doing this again.
Paper and ink and time and silence.
Blessed silence.Quiet, and a gray day. Small birds — sparrows — among the orange-yellow-brown leaves. Magpies in the distance, watching over their domain.
And this sadness, and fear.
(You can probably guess why I was sad and scared. )
Going back through the last few months, there’s a lot of heartbreak, sadness and grief.
There’s also quite a bit of wisdom, understanding, poetry and celebration.
I’m not abandoning my digital journal; it’s complex and very useful, and I’ve tailored it with trackers and views that work for me; so I’m keeping both versions as they complement each other.
But journaling on paper feels more meditative, more creative. I’ve always loved paper and writing. It’s a joyful practice; even when things are hard, but especially when I write about everyday joys, big and small.
🌈 Colorful Joy
Back in the 80s and 90s, when I kept all those journals and had notebooks filled with quotes, lyrics and my own writing, I used to decorate them with colored pencils. My favorite method was to color over the words, creating layers with different colors applied over one another.
Like this:
In January I found the pencil pictured above, in my pencil jar. I’d bought it as a souvenir on MAD – Madrid Artes Digitales – last year. 4 I had never used it, but as soon as I saw it when I was getting ready to do some journaling, I remembered my old notebooks and how I loved to make them beautiful.
I’ve been adding colorful highlights to my journals non-stop since then. 😄
You can do the same thing with normal colored pencils. But I enjoyed the novelty of the multicolored pencil so much, I got more rainbow pencils. I’m giddy with delight. I smile every time I think about them.
🌿 Finding Meaning in Joy
I can’t really explain how much joy I’ve found in this very simple practice. But it’s one of those things that feels like recovering a part of myself that was long lost—to time, to trauma, to oblivion.
It feels like doing something nice for younger me. The person who suffered so much, who had so little, who was so strong and brought me here, to this amazing life we have now.
Like a hug for child me, who taught me that there’s joy to be found in the smaller, most trivial things.
It’s whispering, I’m here, I’m here. We made it. We are okay. We are happy.
You could say it’s silly. it’s just some colored pencils. But.
We are the ones who create meaning, remember?
🌿 Something Just For You
There are many other joys in journaling.
Space to be myself. To write poetry, to ramble, to be happy or angry.
To be ashamed, to hide, to give myself grace.
The ritual of sitting here every morning, opening my journals, taking a breath and checking in. How do I feel today? What do I need right now?
Sometimes lighting a candle, just for the fun of it.
Writing down my story, the world as I see it. Chronicling little bits of history and how much I don’t understand, can’t comprehend.
Journaling is an intersection between finding myself and being creative.
It’s one of the very few things that’s truly only for me. No expectations. No judgement. No way of getting it wrong or not being good enough.
Journaling is an intensely personal thing.
It can be anything you want, anything you need. A tool for self-knowledge, a record of your life, a place to explore your thoughts or write down your dreams.
It can be a sanctuary for the bad times, a refuge when you’re overwhelmed, a map of joy when everything feels wrong.
Make it yours. Make it messy or structured, beautiful or ugly, make it you.
This Week’s Quest – The Joy Of Journaling
Ideas & inspiration to find your joy.
1 – Try different journaling types
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you already enjoy journaling.
If you don’t, if you’ve never tried — give it a go? You may be surprised of how much enjoyment you can find in it.
And even if you’re a veteran journal keeper like me, trying different formats or a new medium can be a lot of fun.
Long form journaling is the best known type of journal, but there’s no right way to do it, either. You can find something that suits you, that really is filled with joy. Some options:
- A line a day – write one line every day, about anything you want
- Lists – I adore my One List a Day Journal
- Art journal – doodle or paint or make collages or whatever suits your fancy
- Photo journal – a picture a day
- Junk journal – a journal filled with personal mementos and recycled materials
2 – Add joy
Whatever form or medium you choose, how can you add joy to it? What would make it more joyful to you?
- Make it a ritual. Schedule time for it. Treat it as “you time”, self-care, replenishment, creative practice. Create a journaling playlist or set aside a special candle. Choose a specific tea or beverage to accompany your journaling. Keep your favorite pens or pencils near your journal.
- Add colors. Stick to a color theme, or make it a rainbow. Or do it all in black & white if you enjoy that vibe!
- Get crafty. Stickers, colored pencils, washi tape, stamps, bits of paper – make it fun and personal.
- Create meaning. Add photos, stories, memories. Things you remember and happenings you don’t want to forget.
📚Reads
➡️ The Ultimate Guide: How To Create A Junk Journal
A junk journal is a handmade book filled with personal and recycled materials to store memories and ideas.
As its name implies, the pages are filled with material that’s usually thrown away. Think newspapers, old train tickets, fabric scraps like lace and ribbons, mismatched buttons, stamps, and more.
You can make your junk journal uniquely yours with mementos like photographs, dried flower petals from a loved one, old magazines, or brochures from a trip…sky’s the limit.
➡️ 20 Types of Journals to Keep
It’s not just the romanticized quotes of famous authors telling us that journaling has immense benefits for our overall well-being, science has something to say as well. To sum it up, research has shown that journaling can be highly beneficial for people suffering from various psychological conditions (ADHD, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, psychosis, PTSD…), as tracking thoughts, conditions, and creating daily structures helps self-reflection.
(…) Moreover, science shows that writing activates the left brain hemisphere, our rational headquarters, simultaneously deliberating the creative right brain to just feel.
🎥 Watch
I’m sooo excited to try these ideas for my travel journals! 😄
🌳 Quote
🌿 That’s It For Today!
I’m curious: are you a journal keeper? If yes, what’s your favorite format/medium/tool?
If not, have you tried or thought about it?
Until next time. 💚—Nospheratt
- It’s also the way I document my personal history, story and mythology, but that’s a conversation for another day. ↩︎
- There’s another conversation to be had about how everything we do is through a screen — but not today. ↩︎
- I burned all my old journals a few years ago, when I was going through a particularly bad depression stint and couldn’t stand remembering all the pain stored among those pages. It was the right thing to do at the time, but I’ve come to regret it. ↩︎
- If you’re ever in Madrid, visit MAD and enjoy whatever immersive experience they’re offering. They’re amazing. ↩︎
