Making a Positivity Journal

Keeping a journal can be a lot of work. I've tried to have a daily journal where I write things to get out all my feelings for the day. When that became too much, I tried to do at least one sentence a day. Still, I couldn't keep up with it.

Journaling doesn't have to be painful. It's been growing in popularity lately, and it's easy to see why. When you journal, you get to put your thoughts in a place for your eyes only. Writing something is better than typing; you can feel the words better as they come out, and it almost feels more cathartic. This is why so many people suggest journaling to those with mental illnesses or just high stress levels in general. Still, the pressure of journaling regularly may only add to the stress.

Don't worry. Through much trial and error, I've found a way to keep a journal without the pressure. I have what I call a Positivity Journal. It's a chill way to let out some of your feelings and put things in it that lift your spirits. Here are a few ideas and tips to help you make a Positivity Journal and get the most out of it.

That Daily Journaling Thing? Nah.

As I said before, journaling is supposed to be for your benefit. If you can't write every day, then that's fine. Write when you want to. No one is standing over you with a bat ready to hit you if you don't write. If one day you're exhausted after work or school or whatever, cool. Go flop on the couch and relax in your own way. If writing in your journal isn't benefiting you, then it defeats the purpose of why you're doing it. So don't feel obligated to write if nothing that day stood out to you as something worthy of your journal.

Get Creative

You're going to find that a lot of this list is all about different things to put in a Positivity Journal. I like to keep things fresh and interesting. Each page in my journal is unique. I use different colored markers to write things. Some pages have pictures and some have words. I write in different sizes and fonts and try to fill up every part of the page with something. If I have blank space around some words, I like to doodle in those spaces. I think of my pages as being cozy. Everything on the page is close together, working together to make each page a home of feel-good energy. Keeping the pages in your journal a little different from each other helps shake things up. You might forget what's on some pages and be pleasantly surprised to rediscover them all over again.

Inspirational Quotes

We all love them. They're necessary, and there's a reason you can buy almost any type of product today with some form of a feel-good, inspirational quote plastered on to it. Simple, easy-to-digest phrases can stick in your mind. I have a collection of them I write on Post-it notes that come from a variety of places. I have, "There's no truth to that" from my therapist when discussing my over-critical thoughts. There's, "This too shall pass," which is from a lot of places, but I associate it with my mom saying it to me when I'm crying about something stressing me out. This list goes on, and it can be different for you too.

Inspirational People, Happy Places, Etc.

Some of my pages are just lists. These lists are a bunch of diverse topics. Some are inspirational people in my life, or inspirational famous figures. Others are lists of places where I remember being happy, ranging from my bed in my current apartment to a boat in Santorini. There are so many things you can do with a list. Even a pointless list titled "Animals I Like" is a happy thing for me to keep on its own page and update as I want to. If you have lists that go onto another page? Great! Expand and write down even more things on other pages. The more pages you fill, the more you'll have to flip through and look at when you're feeling down.

Stickers!

This is a personal favorite of mine. Some of my pages are just a collage of stickers. One has Snoopy stickers, another has cute Loch Ness monster stickers, and so forth. Placing stickers on a page is so simple yet cathartic. It brings you back to childhood and lets you do an activity that doesn't require too much thought. It's always fun to go to a craft store and browse through all the stickers they have. I recommend you go out and buy at least one sheet of stickers to start with. You can arrange them how you want on the page and put them on pages with your lists or other thoughts. It's also an easy way to interact with your journal daily if that's what you're looking to achieve. Maybe you didn't write something, but you put a sticker in it. That counts as contributing to your journal, in my opinion.

Don't Shy Away

If it makes you feel better to write down some negative or stressful things in your journal, by all means, do it. Again, a Positivity Journal is all about what makes you comfortable. For me, those thoughts don't belong in my journal. I write my doubts and fears on pieces of paper and them throw them away. That being said, you do you. If it helps you to write it, then it belongs in your journal.

Be Thankful

Gratefulness is something that many preach when discussing mindfulness. It's something that works, so I can understand why. I like to have places in my journal to write down things I'm grateful for. It could be things as broad as "I'm grateful for my parents" to "I'm grateful that I saw this very pretty leaf today." This small practice just helps to appreciate the things around you. This is especially helpful when you've had a bad day. This is an easy way to help look at the positive things that happened that day.

Most Importantly, Do What You Want!

Here's a fun thought: If you want to do the exact opposite of everything I've just suggested, great! It's your Positivity Journal, so you do what you want. If you want to write the word "sushi" in your journal 1,000 times, then that's amazing. The purpose of your journal is to have a place for you to put little nuggets to inspire you, lighten your spirits, or simply make you smile. Go for it. Buy a nice journal that speaks to your tastes, and go to work on it however you want.

I hope you find some joy in having a Positivity Journal. They're a lot of fun to work on and even more fun to maintain. Once you fill up a couple of pages, it gets easier to continue working on it. Who knows, maybe you could have multiple Positivity Journals before long. Happy journaling!