With the country wide lockdown, a lot of us are going through anxiety and acute depression. The chaos of the world that we have been subjected to has eventually conditioned us and now when we are having to slow down, we seem to not take that well.
So, at this point of time when we cannot step out, we should try and step into ourselves and go within the layers of our soul.

Journaling is a simple and effective way that can help us know ourselves better. Journaling is a written record of thoughts and feelings. It is a way to communicate with ourselves. Journaling is penning down your thoughts and your every day routine. Penning down these details helps us analyze our emotions and situations later from a neutral perspective, which in the long run will help us become emotionally intelligent.

Benefits of Journaling

• Reduces stress
• It helps you track toxic patterns and time wasters
• It helps to identify triggers that lead to negativity
• Journaling helps us achieve a thoughtful approach and neutral perspective to our problems
• It will help you boost your creativity
• It will help you set and achieve goals
• It will help you process your emotions practically and make you a positive person

How to start

• Simply put, grab a notebook, pick a few pens and start writing. You can also be creative with your journals, try using different color pens – practically any art tool that interests you.
• Once you have assembled your supplies, pick a quiet time to pen down your thoughts, preferably at night day for at least 20 minutes.
• While writing, don’t think a lot , just let your mind wander. You do not need to make your text flowery, write as things come to your mind and your exact feelings. Just do a brain dump, write everything that comes to your mind at that moment.

Journaling ideas

We have a list of some journaling ideas, on your initial journey you can start with these to get yourself into the flow.

• What makes you happy?
• What are your dreams?
• What were your highs and lows this week?
• What do you love about yourself?
• What is your most embarrassing moment? Write it down and let it go.
• Your five biggest fears right now.
• What are the 5 best things about isolation?
• If there was no scope to fail, what would you do with your life?
• 5 lessons you would like to give the future generation.
• Write a note to the person who is giving you anxiety.
• A recent achievement of your life.
• Write a gratitude note to your biggest supporter.
• What is your character strength?
• Write about the positive impact of this pandemic.

Journaling daily is a potent and powerful tool to organize your life and thoughts. It is a form of self care. If done correctly- you will show up better in every area of your life.